


To Protect the Dragonborn

by Romantic_Khajiit



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: A Chance Arrangement quest, Almost Declaration of Love, Arguments, Background Relationships, Brotherly Bonding, Cuddling, Developing Relationship, Deviates From Canon, Deviates from cannon in Companions Questline, Don’t worry... I have the whole thing planned... It will get finished, Emotional Setbacks, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Reunions, Feelings Are Confusing, Fluff, Forgiveness, Getting to Know Each Other, Grief/Mourning, Head Cannons About Werewolves, Head cannons about Vilkas and Farkas’s past, Holy cow someone made fan art for me!, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kodlak as a father figure, Long story... this might be turning into novel length by the time I finish it, Lore friendly head cannons, Loss of Virginity, Love, Love Confessions, Married Couple, Mild Tension, Minor cannon deviations for Kodlak’s backstory... still lore-friendly I think, More Fluff, Morning After, Near Death Experiences, No Smut, Non-Explicit Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Prophecy, Self-Doubt, Skyrim Main Quest, Slow Burn, Some Explicit Language, Tickling, Waiting, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, fear of intimacy, goofing off, innocent Farkas, innocent dragonborn, some tags intentionally omitted to avoid spoilers, they're both kind of shy so this will be a little slow, werewolves can hear and smell everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-07 11:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 75
Words: 178,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21457648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romantic_Khajiit/pseuds/Romantic_Khajiit
Summary: So, if you look up Farkas's skill stats, they might surprise you...On one of my Skyrim play-throughs, I did the thing where you drop a piece of armor near Farkas and then tell him he can have it when he asks, and that makes him available as a follower... so I took Farkas with me all over Skyrim even though I'd only started the Companion's quest line.This is the story I thought up to go along with it as I played:“Farkas is intrigued when he meets a small imperial archer and is unexpectedly caught up in her adventures. As he learns more about her he soon decides he’ll do everything he can to protect her... and that promise takes him places he never imagined he’d go... and changes the course of everything...”(I feel like the series of tags above is a better summary than this...)(This is a fanfiction, Bethesda owns the setting and most of the characters.)Also posted on Wattpad.Chapter 38 is artwork.
Relationships: Farkas (Elder Scrolls)/Original Female Character(s), Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Farkas, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 404
Kudos: 417





	1. A Scared Little Rabbit

Farkas was a big, hulking brute of a Nord man. He was even a little bulkier than his twin brother, Vilkas; a fact that he secretly prided himself on. Beyond that, along with the beast blood like the rest of the Companions' inner Circle, he and his brother shared the same dark brown hair and light blue eyes, but Farkas never had the attention to keep his hair cut as short or his beard shaved as cleanly as Vilkas did.

Farkas had an easier time controlling his beast blood than Vilkas did, but Vilkas outshined him in just about every other way. Vilkas was smarter and more well spoken, he was quick and agile in his heavy steel armor, and he excelled in using his great sword, and most other two-handed weapons. It all came naturally to Vilkas. Farkas had to work and train hard to keep up. The extra training was likely how Farkas had ended up being bigger than his brother, so at least he didn't mind that.

The other things that came naturally to Farkas were less honorable, less impressive, and less useful in his mind. When he took his heavy armor off, he could sneak through the halls of Jorrvaskr, quietly enough to get by even the enhanced hearing of the other werewolves... he could even get things into and out of others' pockets without them being any the wiser. Not that he would ever steal anything... nothing major at least... that would be dishonorable, but he did enjoy playing a good prank from time to time... and occasionally nicking some extra food.

Vilkas was the only one who'd ever figured out that it was Farkas pulling the pranks, and even though Vilkas frequently got rather angry when he was the target of the pranks, he never betrayed his brother's secret.

Farkas was also shockingly good at metal working when he cared to take the time to work on his weapons or his armor. Eorland frequently told him he'd make a great smith and could even work the skyforge if he'd ever have enough patience to actually do it. Farkas thought he might do that if he ever got too old to swing a sword.

But the things that came naturally to Farkas weren't what he enjoyed most anyway. That was why, he was a Companion, and not a thief or a blacksmith. Swinging his great sword didn't come as naturally to him as it did to Vilkas, but it was still his favorite thing. The adrenaline of a good fight, the glory of proving himself in battle, the honor of fighting alongside and protecting his shield-siblings... that was his favorite thing.

So when his shield-sister, Aela, asked him to come help her and Ria deal with a giant just outside Whiterun, he was the first one armored up and out the door...

The fight was going well by Farkas's standards; the giant was a formidable opponent, but the Companions would wear him down.

...It just might take a while...

Aela and Ria were helping... the girls were doing a great job really, but the giant's focus was all on Farkas. As the big one in heavy armor, that was his job: keep the enemy's attention so his comrades could stay safe and wear down their huge opponent.

The fight dragged on, Farkas could see the giant was getting tired, it's attacks were getting sloppier. Farkas was still going strong, but he was getting concerned about his shield-sisters.

Then suddenly the giant faltered as an iron arrow lodged into its eye. It was all the distraction Farkas needed to dart in, slash the giants Achilles' tendon, and then deliver the killing blow: slashing its throat, as it fell.

Farkas looked around as he caught his breath.

A few moments later, he noticed Aela was speaking to a small imperial woman... Farkas immediately took note of the long bow in her hands and the quiver of iron arrows on her back... so she was the one who'd shot the giant in the eye... Farkas looked her over curiously. She had a small, thin frame, short black hair, smooth fair skin, and dark blue eyes. He couldn't really make out her figure underneath the old imperial armor she wore, but she looked like she'd come just up to his shoulder if she stood up straight... and she smelled like she'd been thrown on a bonfire and then dragged through a bear cave...

As she spoke to Aela, her posture was timid, but something about her eyes and the strength of her pounding heart told Farkas she was more than she appeared. Farkas just listened curiously as she asked Aela about joining them... Aela sounded almost condescending when she told the woman to come to Jorrvaskr and see Kodlak... even Ria sounded snide as she told the woman to come to Jorrvaskr "if you're worth anything in a fight..."

Farkas rolled his eyes as the two women walked off, leaving the small imperial standing uncertainly beside the giant corpse.

"You look strong," he told her with a smile. "Come to Jorrvaskr and be a Companion!"

She looked up at him with big startled eyes that reminded him of a cornered rabbit and made his beast blood pound in his ears. She didn't look like a warrior, she looked like the kind of scared little rabbit that the Companions were usually hired to protect... but if she could shoot like that...

"Where do you stand on the war?" She asked nervously, interrupting his thoughts. That wasn't a question he'd been expecting...

"Too confusing for me," Farkas shrugged, "Empire, Nords, Talos. Who cares? Just tell me who need bludgeoning." He noticed she seemed to sigh in relief at that response... she was wearing imperial armor, but it looked old, and singed, and had an old blood stain on it... if he had to guess he'd bet she'd pulled it off of a dead body...

"So who are the Companions?" She asked, sounding a little more comfortable.

"The Companions are my family," he answered proudly. "We fight so that other people don't have to. We bring honor and glory to ourselves and each other."

She gave him a quiet nod at that and looked to be carefully considering what to say next...

"Could... could you teach me? To fight?" She asked quietly. The question made Farkas smile and his heart began to pound almost as hard as he could hear hers was. "Or could someone... if I came to Jorrvaskr?"

"Oh, yeah," Farkas told her confidently, "I'll show you what I can, and my brother, Vilkas, is a pretty good trainer too."

She wasn't a warrior... yet... he thought.

"Just come to Jorrvaskr and talk to Kodlak," he added.

"Thank you," she smiled back at him. Farkas was immediately struck by how beautiful her smile was... "I'm Duna, by the way."

"Farkas," he replied.

"It's nice to meet you Farkas." He thought she might have blushed a little but he could definitely be imagining it... "I've got to speak with the Jarl, but I'll come to Jorrvaskr after that," she added. The nervousness was mostly gone from her voice, but Farkas could still hear her thundering heartbeat.

"Alright then," Farkas replied with a soft smile.

He walked with her up to the gate and was startled when the guards stopped her. He was even more startled when she convinced them to let her in by telling them she had news of the dragon attack in Helgen... the most startling thing about that was that she didn't smell or sound dishonest, nor did she smell like skooma or anything else that could cause such hallucinations...

"Dragons?" He asked once they were inside the gate.

"Yeah," she sighed, "I'll tell you about it when I get done with the Jarl."

"Alright then," Farkas said again as she took her leave and hurried up the road toward Dragonsreach.

"You actually told that woman she looked strong, icebrain?" Aela asked with a snicker once he caught up to her and Ria back at Jorrvaskr. "She looked terrified."

"She shoots good," Farkas shrugged.

"I think it was a lucky shot," Aela replied dismissively. Farkas stifled a chuckle, if it wasn't just luck she was a better shot than Aela. Farkas knew better than to comment on that out loud though, so he just shrugged again and continued out to the training yard. He found his brother outside on the porch, so he sat and told Vilkas all about his encounter. Even with Farkas's description of her shooting, Vilkas was a little skeptical that the woman sounded like Companion material.

Later that evening, Farkas was starting to relax with his mead and wondering where Duna was when Njada and Athis got into yet another brawl.

"Ten gold on the big one!" He yelled with a chuckle as several of the other Companions began to gather 'round. Farkas calmly went back to his drink as Torvar bet on Athis, Aela stood by egging them both on, and Skjor critiqued their skills.

His attention was pulled from the fight a moment later when their front doors opened a crack and the thin imperial woman crept nervously inside. Farkas thought with the current commotion going on he might have been the only one who noticed her. He just watched her curiously. She still had the longbow slung over her back with iron arrows, but she'd replaced her old imperial armor with leathers that smelled fresh and finely made... and they actually fit her figure. Farkas was a little surprised by how nicely curved her figure was... his beast blood was pretty quickly pounding in his ears again... he tried to focus on the quality of her armor instead of the quality of her figure...

She either had a lot of gold, or a lot of skill with leather working to have gotten such nice armor since that morning. He could smell that the leather had been made from a couple of wolf pelts, which made him even more curious about where she'd gotten it...

The new armor also made her smell less like a bear-cave, but she still smelled like she'd been cooked on a bonfire...

Farkas realized he was staring and tried to turn his attention back to the fight. When he looked back at Duna a moment later, he was surprised she'd moved all the way to the back of the hall. She was quiet... He listened as she timidly asked Tilma where she could find Kodlak. She was very quiet... but when he paid attention he could hear her movements as she made her way downstairs where Tilma had directed her. He hoped Kodlak would give her a chance... he couldn't put his finger on why, but she intrigued him... she was definitely appealing to look at, even if she really didn't look like much of a warrior.

Her timidness made the wolf inside him want to protect her, which didn't bode well for her being allowed to join them. They could train her, but she would need to start with at least some skills of her own...

Farkas sighed and went back to his mead. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling she was more than just a scared little rabbit... he just hoped Kodlak would see it too...


	2. Armor

Farkas collected his winnings when Njada won the fight, just as he heard his brother make his way upstairs with Duna following him. He smiled slightly as he watched them pass; Kodlak had at least seen enough potential in her to send Vilkas out to see what she could do. Farkas followed to watch.

Vilkas took his fighting stance and told Duna have a few swings at him. Farkas could tell by the slightly lazy way Vilkas took his fighting stance that he wasn't expecting much from Duna. To the untrained eye Vilkas looked plenty serious, but Farkas knew his brother and all of his tells. Vilkas was expecting this to be an easy fight...

Duna uncertainly drew her iron short sword in her left hand and a dagger in her right.

'She's left handed...' Farkas observed thoughtfully.

When she didn't attack right off, Vilkas lunged at her. Her speed as she darted out of the way was startling. Vilkas was caught off guard and almost stumbled forward. He barely turned around in time to block Duna's counter attack with his shield. He swung at her again, but she was just as quickly out of the way and behind him again. Her sword glanced off Vilkas's shield, but her dagger hit the armor across his side with a significant clank. Vilkas shifted into what Farkas recognized as a more serious stance, and the fight continued.

...Farkas was impressed... she definitely knew how to move... and to take advantage of being a left handed fighter, getting into the guard of the right handed Vilkas. After Duna managed to land another hit behind Vilkas's shield, Vilkas motioned to her to stand down.

"Not bad," Vilkas said sounding surprised. "Next time won't be so easy," he chuckled, "but you might just make it."

Farkas listened to Duna's heartbeat level back out as Vilkas handed her his sword and told her to bring it to Eorland for sharpening.

"What d'ya think of her?" Farkas asked in a low tone as Vilkas came back up to the porch.

"She's got real potential," Vilkas shrugged, "more than I was expecting... she's fast."

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded as he looked up to the forge at her.

"Ysmir's beard brother!" Vilkas's gauntleted hand clanked into Farkas's shoulder plate. "You're sweet on her, aren't you?"

"Wha-"

"That stupid grin on your face says it all," Vilkas laughed.

Farkas hadn't even realized he'd been grinning... was Vilkas right? Duna was intriguing... there was something about her that made him want to know more about her... to guard and protect her...

"I don't even know her," Farkas grumbled.

"Well, I'll go tell Kodlak she can stay," Vilkas chuckled, "don't do anything stupid."

"Hmpf," Farkas grunted as Vilkas went inside.

He turned his attention back to the forge for a moment before heading inside as well. Farkas sat down at one of the smaller tables in the corner of the dining area and grabbed a mug of ale. He had long ago perfected the art of watching and listening to everything around him while looking like an oblivious idiot. Vilkas had a word with Skjor and Aela and then went down stairs to tell Kodlak that Duna had passed. Skjor and Aela continued talking quietly in the opposite corner of the room. Farkas could hear them, but he didn't particularly care what they were saying. He sat there with his mug and his thoughts for several minutes before the front door opened. A slight breeze carried the scent of new leather and smoke to his nose. It was Duna. He resisted the urge to turn and stare and instead watched her in his peripheral vision.

She looked around the hall and then strode toward Aela and Skjor. Apparently Eorland had sent her with Aela's shield. Farkas sipped his ale while they spoke. He smiled slightly to himself as he listened.

"Farkas!" Skjor barked loudly. Farkas looked up, pretending he hadn't been listening. He got to his feet and strolled over to them.

"Did you call me?" Farkas asked.

"Of course we did, icebrain," Aela retorted. Farkas just rolled his eyes.

"Show this newblood where the rest of the whelps sleep," Aela ordered.

"New blood?" Farkas asked nonchalantly as he turned to face her, then with a smile he added, "I remember you. Come, follow me." He gestured back toward the living quarters... he hoped Aela and Skjor weren't paying enough attention to notice how she affected his heart rate.

"Skjor and Aela like to tease me, but they are good people," Farkas explained as he led her toward the living quarters. "They challenge us to be our best..."

Farkas explained the general workings of Jorrvaskr and showed her to the living quarters and to the beds for the whelps. She quickly slumped onto one of the beds looking exhausted and relieved.

"Can I stash some of my stuff here too?" She asked looking at the small wardrobe in the back of the room.

"Don't see what harm it could do," he shrugged.

"Thank you," she sighed. Farkas watched curiously as she pulled an enchanted gear pack off her belt and began pulling things out to put away. She sighed and tossed a set of steel armor to the side. Farkas looked at it in surprise, it looked like it would fit him... and it was pretty good quality.

"That armor," he commented curiously, "you don't want it?"

"No," she sighed looking back up from her pack, "I don't do so well with heavy armor. I found it and fixed it up back in Riverwood, hoping to sell it, but I didn't care for the price the blacksmith or the shopkeeper offered me for it, so I gave up on that idea."

"So... I could have it, yeah?" Farkas asked eagerly. It was nice armor, he was impressed to hear she'd fixed it up herself.

"Consider it yours," Duna laughed.

"That's mighty decent of you," Farkas grinned as he picked up the armor set.

"So, is there a washroom I could use?" She asked hopefully.

"Oh, yeah, that's this way," Farkas nodded.

She regathered a few of her things and he led her to the Jorrvaskr bath chamber. He wasn't surprised she wanted to get the scorched scent off. He wanted to know how she'd ended up smelling like that... then he remembered what she'd told the guards about dragons, and that she'd promised to tell him about it... He decided to wait for her and hoped it wouldn't come off as creepy.

When she emerged from the bath chamber half an hour later wearing a simple cotton tunic and carrying her leather armor, she still smelled a little smoky, but she also had an underlying scent of wildflowers now. The combination reminded Farkas of a nice campfire in the wilderness... he liked it...

Relieved that neither her expression, nor her pulse gave away any indication that Duna thought his behavior was creepy, Farkas walked with her back to the whelp room and sat down beside her on the bed.

"So what was that you told the guards earlier about a dragon?"

"Divines, that was all this morning..." she sighed. "So..." she glanced uncertainly at Farkas and he just waited attentively. "It's a bit of a long story," she said a little hesitantly.

"Tell me whatever you've got energy for then," Farkas shrugged with an encouraging smile.

"Well, I left Cyrodiil hoping to start over and make a new life in Skyrim..." she began, "but I got confused for a Stormcloak spy when I crossed the boarder... so I got stuck on a legion prison wagon for about two days." She took a deep breath. Farkas guessed that accounted for why her first question had been where he stood on the war. "Then this morning we arrived in Helgen where they were going to execute all of us, no trial, just execution..."

Farkas felt a growl rise in his throat, that wasn't right.

"...but then a dragon swooped down and sacked the whole town," Duna continued as if she still couldn't believe it herself. "One of the Stormcloaks and I were able to escape in the chaos." She looked up at Farkas as if she was expecting him not to believe her, but Farkas didn't detect any dishonesty in her, just anxiety from retelling the terrors she'd seen today. "Then I came here to tell the Jarl about it because the soldier's family asked me to," she concluded. Farkas just looked at her in amazement as he processed her story; she was almost unjustly executed, and then she'd had to escape a dragon attack... he wanted to ask why she'd left Cyrodiil, but he figured he could ask that when she was more comfortable. Then another thought occurred to him...

"So after you escaped a dragon, you ran in and helped me kill a giant," Farkas said with a gentle chuckle. "You're sure something else."

"I guess I was just tired of feeling helpless while people died," she shook her head. "Not that I thought you couldn't handle it," she added quickly. Farkas let out a laugh at that.

"Well, if you need help with anything, just ask," he told her warmly.

"Actually," she said, looking up at him uncertainly, "the Jarl asked me to go get something from Bleakfalls Barrow for his court wizard... I was planning to leave for that in the morning."

"Don't think you need more rest?" Farkas asked worriedly. He'd never been to Bleakfalls Barrow, but if the stories were to be believed it was bound to be crawling with bandits and draugr.

"Don't think I have time," Duna shrugged, "I think I was still high on adrenaline when I told the Jarl I'd do it, and well, he sounded like this was a pretty urgent matter."

"Alright," Farkas nodded, "get some rest, and don't leave without me tomorrow." He smiled reassuringly at her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. His heart skipped a beat when she smiled back at him.

"Thank you," she nodded.

Farkas stood up to leave and she curled up in the bed, reminding Farkas of a little rabbit again.

As he made his way back to his room with his new armor set, Farkas tried to make sense of his thoughts. Duna had come to the Companions to become a warrior, and the Jarl was trying to send her off on dangerous missions before she was ready... Farkas's wolf spirit growled in his chest at the thought. He would protect her. He hardly knew anything about her yet, but he would protect her.

Even Vilkas was impressed when he showed him the armor Duna had given him. It was well made Nordic steel, but each plate had been expertly tempered as well.

To Farkas's surprise and relief, neither Vilkas nor Kodlak expressed any disapproval when he told them he wanted to help Duna on a job from the Jarl. She had apparently also told them that she came to the Companions hoping to learn. Vilkas was of the opinion she'd need practice and training before they sent her on any Companion jobs. Vilkas and Kodlak were both surprised to hear that the Jarl has asked her to go somewhere so dangerous. Kodlak said it was good that she'd asked for Farkas's help. None of them thought she was ready.


	3. Bleakfalls Barrow

The first thing Farkas noticed about Duna the next morning was that after a full night's rest and some food, she looked much less timid... or at least she was less timid with him... she told him more about her escape from the dragon the day before and of the Stormcloak soldier who'd helped her and given her her longbow.

Farkas mentally silenced his wolf spirit's growl of jealousy as Duna spoke kindly of the soldier... he may have helped her out of Helgen, but he wasn't the one watching her back now... she hadn't asked him to go with her... then Farkas mentally pushed those thoughts away too. He'd just met Duna, he was just here to protect her and help her learn so she could become his shield-sister, he reminded himself.

He just nodded and listened as she continued explaining. Farkas learned he had been right about his suspicions on where she'd gotten the imperial armor she was wearing when he'd first seen her. Overall he was impressed she'd survived the ordeal... it sounded like there were a lot of people who hadn't.

They made decent time back to Riverwood, and were soon on their way up the mountain to the barrow. Farkas couldn't help but chuckle at her as she grumbled about the cold as they got up into the snow.

"Remind me to make myself a good cloak when we get back to town," she said, teeth chattering. Stepping closer and walking beside her, Farkas placed his large hands on her tiny bare arms and rubbed them for a few moments. To his relief, she didn't pull away or smell uncomfortable, but Farkas did hear a distinct increase in her heart rate.

"How are you so warm?" Duna whined, stepping in a little closer.

"Perks of being a Nord," Farkas chuckled. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders to shield her from the driving wind and she happily huddled into him as they walked. She felt so small and vulnerable in his arms like that... Farkas was a little concerned to realize his wolf spirit was enjoying it... she still smelled like a wilderness campsite... Farkas realized it wasn't just his wolf spirit; _he_ was enjoying having Duna huddled so close to him. He was actually disappointed when they neared the barrow entrance.

"Get ready for a fight," he warned, removing his arm and drawing his great sword.

"Of course," Duna grumbled, pulling her bow out and crouching low as she approached. There were three bandits guarding the entrance to the barrow.

"Go ahead and practice your shooting," Farkas whispered encouragingly, "I'll clean up anything you miss."

Duna nodded and took a deep breath. Farkas watched as she took aim, then fired. The arrow hit one of the bandits in the shoulder and the man yelled out in pain.

"Never should have come here!" The other bandits yelled, turning immediately to charge at the two of them while the man Duna had shot backed up and pulled out his own bow.

"Shit," Duna grumbled. Standing up quickly she took aim again and fired. This time the arrow struck the archer straight in the throat and he dropped before he could fire a single arrow.

Farkas meanwhile charged at the other two before they could reach Duna. The first man was wearing hide armor and wielding an iron war axe... he went down easily. The second man was wearing iron and swinging an iron great sword, he took a few more hits, but he still fell to Farkas's steel.

He looked back to see Duna looking cautiously around with another arrow nocked.

"That was all of 'em out here," he told her confidently, "probably more inside."

Duna nodded, collected all the arrows she could, including the entire quiver off the bandit she'd shot, and then they made their way into the barrow.

Duna immediately crouched into the shadows and Farkas did his best to follow suit as he took in their surroundings. He wrinkled his nose as several odors assaulted his senses at once. The whole place smelled of mildew and decay, there were several dead skeevers scattered about the large chamber, there was a cooking fire further back in the chamber, and beside the fire were two more bandits. Fortunately neither of them seemed to have noticed them... they were discussing one of their party running ahead in the barrow without them. Farkas motioned to Duna, pointing out the two bandits. Duna nodded silently, and crept forward with her bow. Farkas was amazed by how quietly she moved. He watched her take another deep breath and then take aim...

This time her arrow struck the man in the throat and he gurgled and died in moments.

"What the- who's there?" The other bandit looked around frantically, but never saw them before Duna's arrow went through her eye and into her skull and she fell dead too. Farkas was impressed.

Duna stood and approached the bodies cautiously and Farkas followed. She found a few more arrows before she turned curiously to the large chest the bandits had been guarding.

"Locked," she grumbled. She rummaged in her enchanted gear pack and pulled out a couple lock picks. Farkas watched in fascination as she sprang the lock and hoisted open the lid in a matter of moments.

"Huh... not much in here," she commented in disappointment, "a healing potion, a bit of gold and... ooh, Farkas, you want this war hammer?"

Farkas watched as she clumsily hauled the massive steel hammer out of the chest.

"Careful," he chuckled as he braced his hands against her shoulders as she almost fell backwards with the massive hammer.

"Here," she grumbled, awkwardly handing him the hammer. Farkas took the hammer in one hand and kept the other on Duna's back as she regained her balance. Farkas tried to look at the hammer and not at Duna's pretty face, but out of the corner of his eye he could tell she looked impressed as she watched him. It was a fairly nice steel hammer, it had a nice heft to it. He unhooked his sword and slid it into his own enchanted gear pack and strapped the hammer to his back.

"And I can improve it a bit for you when we get back to Riverwood," Duna said with a smile.

They continued down the passageway until Farkas smelled another person ahead... they paused and Duna crept silently forward and Farkas followed as quietly as he could... they saw the man just as he pulled a lever that activated a trap and killed him.

Unlike the bandit, Duna had no trouble figuring out the puzzle and the lever opened a gate that led them further into the barrow.

"Yipe!" Duna jumped with a start as several skeever swarmed up the steps at them. Farkas watched in mild amusement as she jumped back and shot them all in rapid succession. Her archery skill really was rather impressive.

They continued down the stairs, but Farkas froze as they found the floor and surroundings covered in spider webs at the bottom of the stairs. Farkas hated spiders... and he could smell a frostbite spider not too far ahead.

Then they heard a distressed male voice yelling, "Is... is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling? I know I ran ahead with the claw, but I need help!"

Farkas could hear him struggling in the spider web a ways in front of them.

"The shopkeeper at the Riverwood Trader mentioned that a bunch of thieves had stolen an ornamental golden dragon claw from them..." Duna whispered, "I bet these are the thieves."

"Probably," Farkas nodded.

"Looks like we can do two jobs at once in here," she smirked before stepping through the webs.

"Duna, wait!" Farkas hissed, but it was too late. As soon as she stepped out of the doorway the largest frostbite spider Farkas had ever seen dropped from the ceiling. Duna yelped and rolled to the side, avoiding the venom as she pulled her bow from her back. Farkas frantically pulled his new hammer from his back and charged in.

He hated spiders... too many legs and too many eyes... and their venom... the venom could actually make a Nord feel cold... it was all wrong, they were horrible creatures.

The evil creature lunged at Duna again, but she darted out of the way, firing another arrow into its face.

"I'm gonna crush you like a bug!" Farkas yelled, hoping to get its attention off of Duna as he swung his hammer. He managed to crush two of the legs, and Duna shot two more arrows into its face. Then Farkas got the opening, he rushed in and dropped the hammer on the monster's head. It made a disgusting crunching sound and stopped moving.

"I hate these damn things," Farkas panted, trying to get his nerves and his racing pulse back under control.

"You did it. You killed it. Now cut me down before anything else shows up!"

Farkas and Duna both turned to see a Dunmer man struggling against a wrapping of spiderwebs on the other side of the chamber.

"Where's the golden claw?" Duna asked, suspiciously walking up to him.

"Yes, the claw," the man nodded frantically. "I know how it works. The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories. I know how they all fit together! Help me down, and I'll show you. You won't believe the power the Nords have hidden there."

"Give us the claw first," Duna demanded.

"Does it look like I can move?!" The Dunmer replied irritably, "you have to cut me down first!"

"Oh..." Duna grumbled, she looked back at Farkas a little sheepishly and he just had to smirk back at her. Then she turned back to the Dunmer and drew her sword. While she hacked at the webbing, Farkas pulled his hammer out of the dead spider's face, and tried not to get sick at the squish-crunch sound it made.

He looked back up as he heard the man's feet hit the floor, then...

"You fools," he laughed, "why should I share the treasure with anyone?"

...the man took off and dashed down the corridor.

"You bastard! Come back here!" Duna yelled after him, but then they heard a loud clang and a sickening crunch. Farkas and Duna exchanged confused looks before proceeding carefully down the corridor after him.

"Careful," Farkas grumbled quietly. He smelled blood, and that usually wasn't a good sign...

"Oh," Duna commented in disturbed surprise a moment later. The Dunmer man they'd just cut down had run off so quickly, he hadn't noticed a pressure plate and had run right over it. It triggered a spiked gate that slammed into him, impaling him in several places and killing him instantly.

"So much for telling us how it works," Duna grumbled as she began rifling through the dead man's pockets. "Ah-ha," she said a moment later, pulling the large golden ornament from the man's pack.

Then the inhuman grunt that Farkas recognized as a draugr met his ears. Duna looked up, wide-eyed in fear as she saw the thing. Farkas was quick to bring his hammer down on its head, returning it to its death.

"What is that?" Duna asked, staring in disgust at the dead draugr.

"Draugr," Farkas replied with a shrug, "no one knows why, but sometimes the dead get up and walk around in these old crypts. We should be careful, there's probably more."

"Oh, fun," Duna muttered sarcastically. She had her 'terrified little rabbit' look again.

"Don't worry," Farkas chuckled, "nothin' we can't handle."

There were, in fact, more... several more, as they proceeded. Duna steadily got used to the idea and soon she was killing draugr with her bow as quickly as Farkas was with his hammer. Her aim was getting better, Farkas noticed happily.

They reached a huge door, that Duna figured out how to open with the golden claw she'd retrieved from the Dunmer. Inside was a large chamber with an underground waterfall beside an ancient round wall with strange markings. Farkas had seen a few walls like that in some of his adventures around Skyrim, but he'd never known what they were.

Duna stepped slowly and carefully into the chamber with her bow at the ready. When nothing moved she walked forward a little calmer and curiously approached the ancient wall. Farkas followed closely, watching their surroundings carefully. He didn't hear any movement in the chamber over the roar of the waterfall, but he could smell that there was a draugr in the large sarcophagus in front of the wall.

As Duna examined the wall, a section of the strange carvings began to glow and Duna seemed to go into a momentary trance as she stared at it. Farkas reached out to her in concern, but almost as soon as it had started the glow faded and Duna turned back to him. Before Farkas could ask her what that was, he heard the draugr get up and the sarcophagus burst open. Duna jumped back and nocked another arrow while Farkas charged the oncoming draugr with a yell.

This draugr was bigger and tougher than the others they'd run into so far. It hardly seemed to notice Duna's arrows, it even shrugged off a few of Farkas's hammer swings. It's ancient sword glanced off Farkas's armor more than once, and finally, Duna put enough arrows in it that it crumpled back to death when Farkas landed another hit with his hammer.

Farkas looked back at her as he caught his breath, she was still wide-eyed with her bow ready looking around for something else to move. Farkas didn't hear or smell anything else.

"Congratulations," he chuckled, "you just cleared your first barrow."


	4. Stories on the Way Home

Duna laughed as the cold night air hit her face. They'd finally made it out of the barrow with the ancient stone tablet the that Jarl's wizard had been so interested in.

"I can't believe I did that!" She said excitedly. Farkas laughed too as he watched her skip happily down the path. "Laeka would never have believed I could do something like that!"

Farkas jogged to keep up, wondering who Laeka was... then Duna ran back to him and wrapped her tiny arms around his upper arm.

"Thank you!" She said looking up at him with a sincere smile.

"No problem," Farkas grinned. Then she let go of him and went back to skipping gleefully down the path.

"Wee!" She laughed as she hopped over a few rocks, taking a small shortcut instead of following the winding road.

"You're like a little rabbit," Farkas laughed, finally voicing the comparison that kept coming to his mind as he scrambled to keep up with her. "Wait up!"

The snowstorm had passed and it was a clear, starry night. The larger of the two moons was just starting to rise. Duna looked absolutely adorable skipping down the trail like she was. Farkas cocked his head as he watched her thoughtfully. 'Adorable' was not a trait in a woman that Farkas had ever thought would catch his attention. Strength and power in a womanly figure was what Farkas typically found attractive, and a mate had to be somebody he could work with, talk to, and confide in... There had been several women who had caught his eye over the years, but never any that held his interest... a wolf mates for life, and no one had quite met that standard yet.

But then he saw Duna, and all he wanted to do was protect her and keep her close. It didn't make any sense... Duna certainly had the womanly figure he enjoyed looking at, and a sweet personality... he enjoyed talking to her more than most... but she was so far yet to display anything like the strength and power that usually drew his wolf spirit's attention... so why was his wolf spirit so drawn to her?

Farkas shook his head and chuckled again as he watched her hop over another rock. He'd never been one to overthink things... he might just have to admit that Vilkas was right; for whatever reason, he was sweet on this little imperial archer...

"So, why did you leave Cyrodiil?" Farkas ventured to ask once he caught up with her as they made their way back toward Riverwood.

"Oh," Duna shrugged, "I was in the Southern..." she trailed off mid sentence and looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment, seeming to consider something. "Actually, the truth is really not a very interesting story..." she sighed, "kind of cliche actually... I was born into a noble house in Cyrodiil. Life was boring and I didn't want to marry the sleaze my father picked out for me, so I ran away... and well, you know everything after that."

"Oh," was all Farkas could think to say to that... he'd been listening to her pulse as she spoke; it sounded like she'd been starting on a rehearsed lie, but then changed her mind... she smelled and sounded plenty honest about running away, but it surprised him a little that she had been nobility. The nobles he'd heard of all lived such comfortable lives, he couldn't imagine one wanting to leave that life and become a warrior... "sounds like an interesting enough story to me," he shrugged. "It must have been hard to leave home like that," he commented curiously a moment later.

"Not really," Duna replied, "life has been more interesting in the past week than it was for my entire life." She smiled up at the sky and Farkas was happy to hear she didn't sound bothered by talking to him about this... "I didn't have a family like you do. I was close to Laeka, the nursemaid who raised me, but there wasn't really anyone else. My mother died in childbirth, my older brother and my father were always doing official empire business and never really had time for me," she continued. Farkas was a little surprised by the way her pulse and breathing sounded comfortable now, she sounded relieved to be telling him the truth. "It was a little difficult leaving Laeka," she admitted, "but she was happy for me to get out and not marry her father, so she actually helped me escape."

"Wait," Farkas cocked his head in confusion, "you were supposed to marry your nursemaid's father?"

"Yep," Duna sighed, "he's a high elf, I'd've been his fifth wife. He's got half-elf children older than my grandfather, but when his fourth wife died my father saw it as an opportunity to move our family into better political standing... and of course no one but Laeka cared what I thought about it."

Farkas just shook his head... he was glad she'd gotten out of that situation... he watched as she smiled up at the sky again, she just looked and sounded so happy now... he couldn't understand how a father could do something like that to his child...

"Huh, and Vilkas thought Jergen was a lousy father..."

"Oh? What'd he do?" Duna asked with a sympathetic smile.

"Nothing," Farkas said with a fond chuckle, "he was a good man. He raised us at Jorrvaskr, but then he left to fight in the war, and well... he never made it back."

"Oh," Duna said, her smile fading, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Farkas smiled, "we've had Kodlak and the rest of the Companions. Vilkas and I were the youngest Companions to ever join, even Vignar couldn't remember Companions younger than us!"

"Now that's a much more impressive story," Duna laughed.

"If you say so," Farkas chuckled. "I've been all over Skyrim on jobs, but still never really known anything but Jorrvaskr."

"Well that still sounds more interesting than being locked up a stuffy noble's house," Duna shrugged, turning her gaze back to the sky and smiling again.

"So if you grew up in a stuffy noble house," Farkas began curiously, "where'd you learn to shoot and smith and all that stuff?" He wanted to know more about her... he wanted to know everything about her...

"Laeka taught me leather working and the basics of smithing, just because a housewife should know how to make and repair things. As for shooting..." Duna let out a deep sigh before continuing, "there's an old elven-imperial wedding ceremony tradition that involves the bride lighting a torch with a flaming arrow... so, since I was supposed to be marrying an elf, I had to learn to shoot the flaming arrow without murdering any guests. I was practicing archery for a couple months solid before I escaped."

"Oh," Farkas nodded thoughtfully. He'd never heard of a wedding tradition like that... most Nord weddings were pretty simple...

"It was a pain, but at least it was a useful lesson for once," Duna continued brightly, "most useful thing my father ever intentionally had me learn actually..." she laughed, "then again, if he hadn't had me learn to read I probably never would have gotten it in my head to go seeking adventure instead of the cushy life of being Aranmen's fifth wife..."

"Well I'm glad you made it here," Farkas chuckled. "You're a good shot. With a little more practice and training, you'll be a good Companion..."

'And then you can hunt and stay with me,' Farkas thought... but he wasn't ready to say those words out loud yet...

"You really think so?" Duna asked excitedly smiling back at him.

"Definitely," Farkas grinned. "You're fast too," he added.

"That was something my father didn't mean to have me learn," she smirked, "I got pretty good at picking locks and sneaking through the palace just because I was almost never allowed to leave my room or study chambers," she explained. "I had to be very quick and quiet to get past my father's guards."

"I got pretty good at sneaking, just to get into my brother's room to pull pranks on him," Farkas admitted with a grin. He grinned wider when Duna looked back at him in surprise.

"Ok, now you've got to tell me those stories," she said pleadingly.

Duna seemed to hang on his every word as Farkas told her stories of sneaking in to Vilkas's room to grease the hilt of his training sword, and of the hilarious results.

They reached Riverwood late in the night. The trader's shop was closed, so they got a couple rooms at the inn. Once they'd washed up, Duna joined him for dinner. As soon as Duna exited her room Farkas noticed her scent; she was even less smoky smelling now, but she still smelled of wildflowers. Farkas felt his wolf spirit stirring, trying to take in more of her scent... he was going to commit her scent to memory...

As she sat down at the table with him, Farkas forced himself to regain his composure and asked her about the strange glowing symbols on the wall back in the barrow.

"I don't know," Duna shook her head, "it felt like the wall was trying to talk to me, but I couldn't understand its language... have you ever seen anything like that?"

"I've seen other walls like that," Farkas answered thoughtfully, "never seen 'em light up like that though."

"Huh..." Duna's brow furrowed in thought, "it's weird..."

"Yeah," Farkas agreed. "Maybe Kodlak or Vilkas can tell us something about it when we get home tomorrow."

"Maybe..."

The next morning they set out bright and early. Duna stopped at the blacksmith's to sell a few things she'd pulled off the bandits, and then made a few improvements to Farkas's new hammer.

"Wow... you did good..." Farkas marveled when she handed the weapon back to him. To his satisfaction, Farkas noticed Duna blushed a little at the praise.

Then they dropped in at the Riverwood Trader and the shopkeeper was amazed to see Duna again, and even more amazed when she pulled the golden claw out of her pack.

Farkas was amazed at the size of the coin purse he handed her as a reward.

"I'll split that purse with you when we get back to Jorrvaskr," she promised quietly once they left the shop.

"Nah, keep it," Farkas replied. "You can buy me a drink later.

"Deal," she grinned.

As they walked out of town toward Whiterun, Farkas could tell Duna was feeling much more confident. He didn't consciously try to watch the sway of her hips, but she was in front of him... and it was a lovely view... it might have also been a little bit of a distracting view because Farkas almost didn't pick up on the scent of a saber cat waiting for an ambush just off the road. Fortunately Duna heard it moments before it lunged and she dove out of the way.

With a furious battle yell, Farkas charged after it with his hammer. There were already two arrows in its face by the time Farkas slammed his hammer down on the cats head, crushing its skull. He looked over to Duna and was alarmed to see streaks of dark red blood trickling down her arm. Before he could move or really even comment though, Duna pulled a small red vile from a pouch on her belt and chugged its contents. Farkas relaxed as he watched the healing potion take effect. Then Duna approached the dead saber cat with a thoughtful expression. She looked over the animal's fur and a smile spread across her face.

"Well, here's that cloak I wanted to make..."

Farkas stood by and watched as she skinned the animal and cleaned the pelt. He was impressed at how neatly and quickly she did so. He now suspected that the wolf pelts she'd used to make the leather for her armor probably came from wolves she'd skinned herself.

Even as quick as she was, it still took most of the morning. They made it back to Whiterun by early afternoon.

As they approached the gates Farkas heard a distant roar that made his hair stand on end... he'd never heard a roar like that... it sounded like a huge beast... probably the dragon... part of him was intrigued and excited at the prospect of facing a dragon in battle... the other part of him was glad it sounded distant.  
  



	5. Dragon

Farkas simply followed Duna as she brought the dragon stone tablet back to the wizard. He tried not to, but the wizard was boring, so Farkas zoned out a little, just admiring Duna's features...

Several moments later Farkas's attention was drawn away from Duna as the Jarl's housecarl rushed in, requesting the wizard come at once... a dragon had been sighted.

Farkas was alarmed when she turned to Duna and told her to follow as well... what in Oblivion did they want with her? What was his little rabbit supposed to do against a dragon?

He followed closely and stood protectively behind her as they listened to a guard explain to the Jarl what he'd seen. Then the Jarl told his housecarl to take a unit of men to go see, and then... Farkas couldn't believe it... the Jarl asked Duna to go with them... sure she was an archer, but so were all the guards... just because she'd survived Helgen the Jarl thought she had the best chance... Farkas almost growled out loud when she, wide-eyed and terrified looking, told the Jarl she'd go. Couldn't that damn man see she was terrified? But then Farkas could smell fear and terror on all of them... 'cowards,' he growled silently to himself.

Farkas stayed close as they left the palace. Duna looked back at him with wide-eyes once the doors shut behind them. He could smell her fear. She'd been afraid to tell the Jarl 'no,' and now she was afraid to go face the monster that had nearly killed her a few days ago.

"Don't worry, little rabbit," Farkas said gently as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm here to help." He couldn't help but grin at the grateful but surprised smile that spread across her face at that, but she still smelled terrified.

"Y-you don't have to, you know..." she looked at her feet, seemingly trying to hide a blush. Farkas half-stifled a chuckle. As if he could ever leave her to face a dragon with just the Jarl's men for back up... even if he wasn't sweet on Duna, his honor as a Companion wouldn't have let him pass up the chance to defend his home from such a beast.

"I know. Let's go bring honor to the Companions," he told her confidently.

"Alright," she sighed in a shaky voice.

They followed the Jarl's Housecarl and the group of soldiers she'd gathered and they hurried out to the watchtower to the west of the city. Farkas was shocked to see the tower at least half destroyed and several fires burning on and around the rubble as they approached.

Duna crouched beside one of the large blocks of stone and readied her bow.

"Any suggestions imperial?" The Housecarl asked as she and several of the men scanned the skies.

"Uh..." Duna said slowly, "shoot it... avoid the teeth and fire..." she gave an exasperated shrug and Farkas resisted the urge to chuckle.

Then he could smell the dragon... it smelled almost like a normal reptile, but there was a more metallic scent to it... and the scents of fire and blood were unmistakable... and he could hear its wings on the air...

"Here it comes," Farkas warned, readying his own bow. Moments later the massive creature soared into view.

"Divines help us..." Duna muttered, "that's a different dragon."

"Huh? What's that mean?"

"That there's more than one of the damn things..."

Farkas didn't have time to respond to that, as the beast swooped toward them. He and Duna both fired arrows at it and then dove out of the way as the dragon breathed fire down where they had been crouched. Farkas got to his feet and fired another arrow at the dragon. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Duna do the same... the Jarl's men and Housecarl were shooting at it as well. After several tense minutes of shooting their bows and diving out of the way to avoid being roasted, the dragon finally had too many arrows in its wings to keep flying and it crashed to the ground. It roared furiously, spewing even more flames and snapping at people with teeth the size of swords. Several of the Jarl's men rushed in with swords. Farkas pulled his hammer from his back and rushed in, hoping to find a weak spot in the scales near its neck... he got a few solid hits in, but then the dragon turned with much more speed than Farkas expected from a creature that size, and Farkas was tail-whipped directly in the stomach.

"FARKAS!!!"

Farkas barely registered Duna scream his name as he was thrown several yards away, through one of the burning sections of the tower. He landed and slid into a stone block on the other side of the tower. The air was knocked out of him, his head was ringing, and he saw stars for a moment.

"Damn you, you fucking overgrown lizard!" Farkas dimly heard Duna's angry yell through the ringing in his ears.

'No,' Farkas thought, 'no, Duna, don't do anything stupid... especially not for me...' he blinked trying to clear the spots from his eyes and gasped for breath, painfully trying to refill his lungs. He needed to get back to help Duna... he fumbled with his pack that was thankfully still on his belt, pulled out a healing potion, and choked it down. He felt the boost of energy surge through him and realized he'd definitely cracked a few ribs... and they were not healing... Farkas swore, realizing that he'd taken a stamina potion instead of a healing potion and reached back to his pack. Triple checking before he drank it this time, Farkas choked down a second potion, and to his relief the sharp pains that shot through his chest with every breath began to subside. A few moments later, the spots were gone and his head stopped ringing.

He looked around again to get his bearings and realized the dragon had thrown him farther than he'd realized. He was pretty sure that if he weren't a werewolf in heavy armor, he'd be dead... but he didn't have time to think on that...

Picking his hammer back up he rushed back toward the dragon, desperately hoping Duna was still ok...

He got back to the dragon just in time to see a sight that made him question if the potion had actually healed his head injury... surely he was hallucinating... he arrived just in time to see Duna jump onto the dragon's face and drive her sword into the back of its head. The dragon let out an angry yell, flailed for a few more moments, and then fell to the ground, dead. Duna hopped off of it, looking tired but no worse for the wear. Farkas just stared at her feeling dumbstruck... and a little bit aroused. She might be more of a warrior already than any of them had thought...

Farkas watched as she looked up and began to scan her surroundings frantically, and he could hear her heart hammering. Then her eyes fell on him and she let out a relieved sigh and ran over to him.

"Are you ok?" She asked worriedly, "I thought I'd lost you!"

Farkas's pulse picked up and his blood began pounding in his ears again as he realized she'd been frantically looking for him...

"I'm fine," he chuckled, "it'll take more than that to get rid of me. And you?"

"I'm ok," she nodded. Farkas focused and noted that she didn't smell hurt, he could smell the adrenaline coursing through her veins, and her heartbeat sounded strong.

"That," he cocked his head back toward the dead dragon, "that was... wow..." for not the first time Farkas wished he had his brother's way with words. He looked back to Duna to find her blushing and suddenly felt a blush creeping up his own neck.... he realized he might be a little more than sweet on her...

But before he could give that thought anymore attention the body of the dragon began to glow, and then to quiver... Farkas heard the sudden jump in Duna's pulse as she turned with a start and Farkas took a quick step closer to her. Several of the surviving Jarl's men drew their weapons again in a panic, but then the flesh began to burn away and a massive rush of glowing aura flew toward Duna, Farkas reached out to her in alarm, and she froze in his grasp as her body seemed to absorb the bright fiery aura. For a brief moment her skin was burning hot to the touch, and the way her eyes lit up reminded him of what had happened with the odd wall in the barrow.

"What in Oblivion?" Duna muttered quietly once the effect had faded. Farkas just stared at her, trying to process what he'd just seen.

"I don't believe it," one of the Jarl's men said approaching her with an awed expression, "you're Dragonborn..."

Duna blinked, looking back at the man startled and confused. Farkas just continued staring in shock, letting his hands fall back to his sides. His father had read the stories of the Dragonborns of ancient legend to him and Vilkas when they were young. Vilkas had always paid more attention than he had, but Farkas still remembered enough to begin making sense of what he'd just seen; Duna had killed a dragon and absorbed its soul. He didn't know what exactly that meant, but it suddenly struck him that she was definitely strong...

Then he realized that at the moment, however, she was starting to look like a scared little rabbit again as the Jarl's men began to crowd around them, encouraging her to try to 'shout' like the dragons. Farkas stepped a bit closer to her and the Housecarl scolded the men for getting carried away.

"Come on," Farkas told her, "let's go get your reward from the Jarl and then we should get back to Jorrvaskr."

Duna just nodded with wide-eyes and let Farkas lead her away from the dragon bones and the rubble.

"What was that?" She asked quietly once they were out of earshot of the others.

"I don't know," Farkas shook his head. "I've never been a smart one, but I remember the stories about Dragonborns... that's what I'd guess... Vilkas probably has a book about 'em. Great heroes, I think. Powerful."

"I... I know what Dragonborn is, but... that can't be it..." Duna shook her head looking lost in thought, "I... I'm nothing special... I'm just little me..."

"Uh... you just killed a dragon," he reminded her bluntly.

"Me and, like, fifteen other people," she argued.

"You cursed it out, jumped on its face, and stabbed it," Farkas smirked. He looked sideways at her as they walked and listened to her racing pulse.

"I... it... it made me angry..." Duna said quietly looking at her feet as they walked, and Farkas saw a pink blush creep up her cheeks. Had that all been her reaction to thinking she'd lost him? His heart skipped a beat and his wolf spirit stirred excitedly at that thought.

"Remind me not to make you angry," he chuckled.

Farkas never would have believed he could fall so head-over-heals for a woman so quickly. He'd known her for less than a week, and he'd follow her into Oblivion if she asked him to. He couldn't wait to make her a proper Companion... to train with her, go on missions with her, and get to know her better... to forge that bond of friendship that could eventually become more... He might be just a foolish optimist, like Vilkas frequently said, but he was already starting to feel hopeful that Duna just might one day be his mate...

  
  


"DOVAHKIIN!"

Farkas and Duna both jumped as the thundering voice called down from the mountain behind them. Farkas had heard of the Greybeards up on top of that mountain. He'd never believed men could wield so much power in just their voice, but he couldn't imagine what else that sound could have been.

"We should get back to Jorrvaskr," Farkas said again. He had so many questions for Vilkas and Kodlak.


	6. Training the Dragonborn

The Jarl was convinced that the thundering call was, in fact, the Greybeards summoning Duna to High Hrothgar. Farkas tried not to let his boredom show on his face as the Jarl told them about the trip he'd taken to High Hrothgar once. Farkas would have been more annoyed, except that Duna eagerly took the opportunity to ask questions about what to expect and how to get there. He paid enough attention to hear the Jarl tell her she'd want to leave from Ivrastead, where most of the pilgrims set out from. Farkas knew how to get to Ivrastead, he'd been there on a couple of jobs over the years. It was a relatively small town, similar to Riverwood, on the other side of the mountain.

Then, Farkas's attention was drawn back to the Jarl as he had a brief argument with his steward. When the steward finally relented, the Jarl gave Duna a rather nice enchanted steel axe as a reward for her trouble. Farkas thought she deserved more and considered saying so, but then the Jarl proceeded to also name her Thane of the hold and appoint her a Housecarl named Lydia. Farkas thought that was a bit excessive... but then, she had just killed the dragon that he and most of his men had been too terrified to deal with...

Duna looked as surprised as Farkas felt as they made their way away from the Jarl's throne.

"Never thought I'd be earning my own title," she shook her head, "especially not a week after I left home..."

Farkas chuckled and patted her shoulder as they approached Duna's new Housecarl.

"The Jarl has appointed me to be your housecarl," Lydia greeted. "It's an honor to serve you."

"So... what does it mean to be a Thane in Skyrim?" Duna asked uncertainly.

"The Jarl has recognised you as a person of great importance in the hold. A hero," Lydia explained patiently. "The title of Thane is an honor, a gift for your service."

"Ok," Duna nodded, looking pleasantly surprised, "so it doesn't come with specific responsibilities?"

"Not particularly," Lydia shrugged.

"That's good," she said with a nod, "and what does a housecarl do?"

"As my Thane, I'm sworn to your service. I'll guard you, and all you own, with my life," Lydia replied respectfully. Farkas thought Lydia seemed like a fine warrior who was probably up to that task, but he noticed Duna grimace slightly.

"I don't really own anything, I just got here," she shrugged.

"I can always wait here until you need me," Lydia replied with a reassuring smile.

"I think that would be best," Duna nodded, looking genuinely relieved.

With that they took their leave and Farkas had to quicken his pace to keep up with Duna.

"Lydia either just got the worst assignment as a Housecarl or the best..." Duna sighed once they got outside. Farkas cocked his head at her in confusion and she explained, "I'm not interested in having anyone 'sworn to my service'... I felt bad enough thinking I'd gotten you killed when you came with me willingly... I'd hate to have someone thinking they can't tell me if they don't want to help me with something."

"I see," Farkas nodded. He hoped she would still want his help... "you don't have to worry about me," he assured her.

"Thank you," she smiled up at him, "I couldn't have done any of that without you."

Farkas grinned at that. "You're welcome, little rabbit," he said with a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Let's get back to Jorrvaskr. We should train you before the Jarl tries to send you on anymore dangerous jobs."

"Yes, please," Duna smiled.

It was late afternoon by then, and even though it took less than a minute to get back to Jorrvaskr, Duna appeared noticeably more tired by the time they did. Farkas could smell that her adrenaline from earlier had worn off.

"Go wash up," he suggested, "I'll report to Kodlak. You can talk to him after dinner."

"Sounds good," Duna nodded gratefully.

Farkas had noticed Vilkas, Skjor, and Aela eyeing then curiously as they walked back into the hall. He wasn't surprised when they followed him to the Harbinger's chambers. He suspected they had heard the rumors that had followed Duna back into town after the dragon fight.

"Well," Vilkas said thoughtfully once Farkas had finished telling them all that had happened, "if the dragons have returned, it's lucky for us that a dragonborn has too. Legends say that when Alduin the World Eater returns only a dragonborn will be able to stop him."

"And so it will be the Companions' great honor to train the Dragonborn and then help her in her quest," Kodlak nodded approvingly. "What do you think of her skills now, boy?" Kodlak asked, looking kindly at Farkas.

"She's quick on her feet and good at shooting, but she needs work on her close combat," Farkas answered. "...she probably also needs to work on controlling her rage in battle..." Farkas added, thinking back to seeing her jump on the dragon's face.

"That timid imperial? Rage?" Aela asked with a laugh.

"Farkas did just tell us she jumped onto a dragon in anger," Vilkas replied, with a slightly concerned look.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded, "worked out well this time, but she had me worried."

Kodlak nodded thoughtfully. "Best not send her up the seven thousand steps alone," he said a moment later.

"I'll go with her," Farkas volunteered. He saw Vilkas raise an eyebrow at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Good," Kodlak said with another nod. "Make sure you both get some rest before you head up there."

"We can train some more and leave whenever she's ready," Farkas agreed.

"Go easy on the training, icebrain," Aela chided, "the old man just said to make sure you both rest."

Per his usual response to Aela's teasing, Farkas resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just responded with an affirmative grunt.

"Although, I'm sure I could show her a thing or two about archery too," Aela added.

'Of course,' Farkas thought, 'she thinks Duna's worth something now that she knows she's Dragonborn with some real skills,' but he still kept his expression neutral and said, "she'd probably like that."

"A scholar came today with a tip about another fragment," Skjor spoke up, looking to Kodlak. "I need to look into it a bit, but if it checks out it could be the perfect timing to be her trial when they get back."

"I think so too," Kodlak nodded.

Farkas did his best to hide his excitement at that prospect. Duna would be his shield-sister soon...

He went and washed up himself, and was still back upstairs before Duna.

"I was starting to wonder if you fell asleep in there," Farkas told Duna with a chuckle when she finally came back upstairs from her bath.

"I think I almost did," she admitted sheepishly. "Hot water is lovely when everything is sore."

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded, "so's a good mead." He handed her a mug as she sat down beside him.

"I've never had mead," she commented, looking curiously into the mug. Farkas raised his eyebrows in surprise but before he could comment Torvar dropped into the seat on the other side of her.

"Did I hear that right? You, my friend, have been deprived!"

  
To Farkas's relief, Torvar only stuck around long enough to watch Duna take her first sip of mead and ask what she thought. Then he caught sight of Ria coming upstairs and excused himself. Duna let out a soft sigh that Farkas thought sounded relieved as well.

"Anyway," Farkas began a few moments later while Duna sipped on her mead, "Kodlak said we'll help you with your Dragonborn stuff. I don't know what all that means, but I'm still here to help."

"Oh. Thank you," Duna said with a relieved smile. Then her smile faded, "It hasn’t quite sunk in yet... I'm still not sure I even believe it... I mean... me... dragonborn..." She stared blankly into the hearth for several moments looking lost in thought. "Assuming it’s true... that would mean I've got some big, important destiny... and I have no idea where to start," she added quietly.

"Me neither," Farkas shrugged, "Vilkas is better at that stuff than me... but I'll go with you and watch your back for whatever it is." He put his hand on her shoulder and Duna looked up at him with a small, surprised smile, and Farkas realized he might have sounded a bit over-eager... but then her expression just shifted back to a thoughtful one as she looked back at the hearth.

"I mean, I'm guessing I have to go see what that summons was about," Duna said a moment later. "The Greybeards will probably at least be able to tell me if I actually am the Dragonborn..."

"Probably a place to start then," Farkas shrugged.

Duna talked to Kodlak, and then went to bed. She spent the rest of the week at Jorrvaskr resting and then training. Farkas oversaw her training with Athis on short swords, and then sat idly by while she practiced her archery with Aela.

She also spent the evenings sitting out at the tanning wrack and working on some of the animal pelts she'd collected. Farkas took to sitting with her and talking to her as she worked. In that time Farkas learned she was only about three years younger than he and Vilkas thought they were, and heard several stories of mischief she'd gotten into as a child. He wanted to meet Laeka, she sounded like a sweet woman, but he was glad he'd probably never meet her father or brother.

He also told her several of his own stories. Duna seemed to be interested in everything he could tell her. Farkas had never been much of a talker, but she seemed to just naturally pull the conversation out of him. He enjoyed her company.

About the middle of the week nearly everyone was out in the yard for afternoon training. Duna and Athis were working on sword skills and doing well, but Torvar seemed to be getting aggravated.

"Relax, new blood," Farkas grumbled at Torvar.

"I've been hunting on my own for years," Torvar complained.

"Fighting people is different. Smarter," Farkas explained, trying to be patient.

"Some of 'em, anyway," Torvar grumbled under his breath. Farkas paused, his own irritation reaching a breaking point... he took that sort of teasing from Aela, she was his equal... but not from Torvar, not from a whelp... he took a deep breath, putting his training sword slowly back on his belt. Then he turned on the balls of his feet, throwing a punch straight into Torvar's face. Torvar was caught completely off guard and Farkas's fist was large enough to hit Torvar across the nose and his left cheek all at once. Torvar dropped to the ground, blood pouring from his broken nose.

"Go take a healing potion," Farkas ordered in almost a growl. "You'll train more tomorrow."

Farkas turned to see everyone in the yard had stopped to stare.

"I'd... better go take care of that..." Athis told Duna with an annoyed shake of his head. Duna just nodded.

Then, from the other side of the yard;

"Can... can I...?"

"Go."

Farkas could practically hear Vilkas roll his eyes as he gave Ria the go-ahead and she hurried over to help Athis haul Torvar off the ground.

"What in Oblivion was that about?" Duna asked, approaching cautiously.

"Some people don't think I'm smart. Those people get my fist," Farkas explained with a shrug. He heard Duna's pulse and breathing begin to sound a bit nervous at that. "But you, I like," he added with a reassuring smile. Her heart pounded extra quick for a couple of beats and Farkas felt a blush creep up his neck as he realized how that must have sounded. A moment later Duna's pulse evened back out.

"Well that's a relief," she said with a smile. Farkas chuckled and grinned at that.

"I need to go talk to Kodlak," Farkas told her a moment later, "you can do some more training with Aela."

After Farkas told Kodlak his concerns about Torvar being too eager to fight, their conversation turned to Duna. Kodlak suggested Farkas give her a simple job so she'd at least have some Companions experience. Farkas found her one to go scare a debtor into submission. Those usually just involved a good brawl. Apparently Carlotta had decided she wasn't going to pay one of her suppliers because of some argument they'd had. Farkas didn't know the details, and that wasn't their business anyway. He was pretty sure Duna could take on Carlotta.

He was even more impressed and intrigued when he heard how the job went though... Duna had had a good brawl with Carlotta, then, after beating her into agreeing to pay her debts, she sat down and had a talk with the woman, asking her about her troubles. That had led her to the Bannered Mare where she'd somehow managed to badger the bard into agreeing to leave Carlotta alone.

Farkas was thoroughly impressed.By the end of the week, Vilkas, Skjor, and even Aela were impressed with their newest whelp too.

"You're sure you want to come with me to see the Greybeards?" Duna asked him the next evening.

"Don't see why not," Farkas shrugged, "Kodlak said its a dangerous trip and you shouldn't go alone."

"Alright, in that case..." she trailed off as she stood up with the latest piece of furs she'd been working with, "come put this on so I can make sure it fits." She held the large, dark brown bundle of fur out to him. Farkas took it in shock. It was a bear skin cloak.

"You didn't have to..."

"I know, but I wanted to," she interrupted him with a smile, "I'm sure you won't get near as cold as I will up there, but if you're coming with me, making you the best gear I can is the least I can do."

Farkas just nodded and put the cloak on with a small smile. It fit him impressively well, and it was warm and surprisingly soft.

"Besides that," Duna continued, "I finally figured out what to do with this bear pelt."

"Won't complain," Farkas said with a grin, "this is nice."

Duna definitely blushed at that and Farkas couldn't help but chuckle. He reached over and ruffled her hair, earning him an embarrassed smirk. She really was adorable.

Once she had finished the cloaks Duna decided she was ready to start their trek up the mountain, and they set out first thing the next morning. Duna stopped in at the Riverwood Trader to restock her potions, and even bought several for Farkas. Farkas started to tell her she didn't have to, but she interrupted him with another "I know, but I want to." So Farkas stood back and watched her with a smile on his face. He was noticing the more comfortable she got, the less timid she was; she hardly resembled the terrified rabbit he'd first seen nearly two weeks ago...

Then as they got on the road towards Helgen, her timid rabbit persona came back... it seemed to do that every time he noticed he hadn't seen it in a while...

"You ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, just... not exactly excited to be heading back toward where I nearly died..." she shrugged nervously.

"Don't worry," Farkas put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder, "that's why you've got me."

She smiled nervously back at him and they continued down the road.


	7. On the Road

They continued down the road for about another mile before Farkas caught sight of what looked to be a couple of Imperial soldiers walking up the road toward them. As they got a little closer Duna swore under her breath and stood a little taller. Farkas heard her pulse speed up nervously and he adjusted his stride to walk a little closer to her, remembering that it was the Legion that had almost executed her...

"Hold!" One of the Imperials called out to them. Farkas noticed their armor was different from the soldiers he'd seen. One carried a sword, and the other carried a bow, they didn't otherwise look heavily armed, but there was no telling what could be hiding in their enchanted gear packs.

"Those aren't legionnaires," Duna breathed in a hissed whisper, hardly moving her lips.

"Mmm," Farkas acknowledged just as subtly.

"We're here on urgent business," the one with the sword announced loudly from several paces down the road. "We're from the capitol in Cyrodiil, and we have some questions."

"Shit," Duna hissed almost imperceptibly through her teeth. Her pulse was quickly picking up speed again, but she held herself tall, looking potentially ready for a fight. "Please," she said in the same barely perceptible whisper, "go along with whatever I say?"

"Mmhmm," Farkas assured her, not taking his eyes off the two imperials. He moved to stand beside her and folded his arms across his chest, watching as the men approached.

"Would you mind identifying yourselves?" The one with the bow asked, curiously looking at Duna.

"Farkas of the Companions," he answered suspiciously. Both men looked more carefully at him then. They didn't show any outward signs of fear, but he heard their heart rates increase nervously.

"Duna of the Southern Bowmen," Duna answered confidently. The two imperials looked back to her and appeared taken aback. Duna grimaced. "Er, _formerly_ of the Southern Bowmen... currently of the Companions," she corrected. Farkas could hear in her pulse and her breathing that it was all an act... but it was a good act. The imperials clearly bought it; Farkas noticed an almost immediate change in their demeanor.

"My condolences Bowman," the one with the bow replied. "I pray the eight grant you solace and better fortune in your present company."

"I appreciate your sympathies, countrymen," Duna nodded. "Now what brings you to Skyrim?"

"Grave news I'm afraid," the one with the sword spoke, "about a fortnight ago, the Lady Celeste of the Septim House was kidnapped on the eve of her wedding."

"That's terrible," Duna gasped.

"Yes, needless to say her father and her husband-to-be are both devastated. They're paying good money for information on her whereabouts."

"And there's a hefty reward for her safe return," the one with the bow added. He handed Farkas a parchment with a painted picture of a beautiful woman with porcelain skin, in a midnight blue dress that matched her eyes, and long flowing black hair. Farkas stared at the picture. Part of him was feeling a little hurt that Duna had introduced herself to him with a fake name, but he understood why she did it. He was glad she had her leather helmet on and the men didn't recognize her.

"She sure is a beauty, huh?" The man with the sword commented, seeing Farkas's expression as he held the parchment. Farkas just nodded, and he heard Duna's pulse jump even more for a few beats before she regained her composure.

"Her husband-to-be sure will be a lucky man if they manage to find her," the one with the bow nodded as well.

"Do they have any leads?" Duna asked sounding concerned.

"Not much," the one with the bow shook his head. "The poor nurse maid woke to the girl screaming and got herself clubbed over the head before she could see much of anything. The palace guards found the woman unconscious in Lady Celeste's ransacked bedchambers the next morning."

"Poor thing," Duna shook her head.

"Yeah," the one with the sword nodded, "the palace guard said the nurse maid was the one who mostly raised Lady Celeste. She was more distraught than even her father."

"Well, I hope you find her," Duna said, sounding genuine, "we'll be sure to keep an eye out, but we'd better be on our way now. If the rumors of Helgen are to be believed, we've got a long way to go before dark."

"Ah, yes," the one with the sword said, "we just came from that way. I'm afraid the rumors don't do it justice, you won't find any shelter there."

"We won't keep you," the other added, "good luck Companions."

"Same to you," Duna nodded. Farkas nodded as well and the imperials continued up the road while they continued on in the opposite direction.

Once they'd made it at least a mile from the men, Duna let out a huge sigh and sat heavily on a large rock beside the road. Farkas had so many questions...

"Oh thank the divines, they actually bought that," she shook her head as she pulled the helmet off to rub her face with her hands, "and it sounds like they believed Laeka’s story too." Farkas just cocked his head at her curiously as she leaned back on the rocks looking lost in thought.

"So..." he began slowly, "Lady Celeste?"

"Yeah," she grumbled. "I'm sorry, I should have explained everything to you as soon as I decided to trust you with the real story. Thanks for not blowing my cover," she added with a grateful smile.

"That's alright," Farkas shrugged as he sat down on the rock beside her. "You can explain it to me now," he suggested gently.

Duna nodded but then suddenly looked like an unpleasant realization had just occurred to her. "You... you don't think the other Companions will want to turn me in for the money... do you?"

Farkas considered for a moment before answering. "No," he shook his head, "I know my brother talks like he's just in for the gold, but that's just talk. He likes to look tough and mean in front of the newbloods. You came to us for help, it wouldn't be honorable to turn you in."

Duna let out a relieved sigh and nodded. "Thank you," she said, looking up at him with a genuine and relieved looking smile.

"No worries," Farkas chuckled. Her smile was beautiful... He thought the picture of her in her dress and makeup with the long hair was beautiful too, but he preferred the real looking woman in front of him now... her short hair was more practical, and it framed her face... her skin was less pale after a couple of days outside... Farkas had always preferred a more rugged, outdoors look to the fancy refinement of the court ladies, but the idea that Duna could do both was getting his heart pounding.

Duna sighed, looking thoughtful again. "Alright, explanation time I suppose... where to start..."

Farkas just watched her with a gentle, attentive expression. "Your name," he suggested with a shrug.

"Right... Lady Celeste of the Septim House," she shrugged. "'Duna' was one of the pet names that Laeka gave me when she started teaching me leather working...it means ‘skilled’ in one of the ancient languages she studied. I always liked when she called me that, so when I left to start a new life that was the name I picked... I want nothing to do with being Lady Celeste."

Farkas just nodded, so it wasn't exactly a fake name, it was more personal than her title... then another thought occurred to him,

"...and, 'of the Septim House'," he asked, "...as in _Tiber Septim_?"

"Pff, supposedly," Duna shrugged. "The records all indicate that Tiber Septim's bloodline died out centuries ago. But then some ancestor of mine several generations back, waltzed into the capitol with the name Septim and tried to claim they were related. He was successful enough to earn some status, so his descendants are still nobles of the court these days, but we're not too highly respected... hence why my father wanted to use me as a bargaining chip to put himself in better political standing."

Farkas just nodded as he processed what she was saying.

"Then again," Duna continued thoughtfully, "if I actually am Dragonborn too, there might actually be something to the Septim bloodline claims."

Farkas nodded again. "And who 're the 'Southern Bowmen'?"

"Oh," Duna said with a bit of a sad sounding chuckle, "the Southern Bowmen were a fighters guild in the south of Cyrodiil. They were kind of like the Companions, but less well known, and comprised entirely of archers. When I was a kid I dreamed of running away and joining them, but they were all wiped out a while back. The rumor is it was a pack of beasts like werewolves or werebears, but no one knows for sure. I decided to use them as my fake backstory because I knew enough about them, and no one would be able to expect any corroboration... and I've read enough books to know being secretive and not having a backstory would be suspicious."

"Smart," Farkas commented thoughtfully. He realized she'd really told him more of the truth in the first place than she'd probably given anyone else.

"So who else knows the real story?" He asked.

"All the details, just you," she answered, "what I'd told you before today, you, Kodlak, and Vilkas."

"Skjor and Aela will need to be brought up to speed," Farkas said thoughtfully, "Kodlak has probably told them the gist of it already, but you can trust the Circle to keep secrets." Duna nodded at that. "Besides," Farkas added with a grin, "I don't think there's a Nord in Skyrim who would let the imperials take the Dragonborn away."

Duna chuckled at that. "How sad is it that I'm more worried about getting sent home to marry that creep of an elf than I am about being the Dragonborn and having to face actual _dragons_..."

Farkas chuckled too. "Yeah, you sure are something else."

Helgen was worse than Farkas had expected. He could smell the stench of death on the wind from a mile away. The whole place smelled of cinders and burnt corpses. What he could see from the road looked like a few of the stone structures were still standing, but most of it had been reduced to rubble.

Duna stuck to the road and quickened her pace, clearly wanting to get past the remains of the town as quickly as possible. Farkas practically had to jog to keep up, but he was relieved when they finally got upwind of the mess and he didn't have to smell it anymore.

They made it to Ivrastead by nightfall and got a room at the inn. There was only one room available that night, but it was one with two beds. Farkas couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed by that fact. The idea of cuddling up to Duna in the night was extremely appealing, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, especially after the day she'd had. As it was, seeing her come back from the washroom in her sleeping tunic reminded him of the picture of her court dress, and it was a lovely sight. He decided he'd be content with that for now.  
Then his mind went to trying to decide whether or not he should search his pack for an extra shirt... he didn't want to sleep in the one under his armor that he'd been sweating in all day, but he really didn't want to make Duna uncomfortable...

A quick search proved he did, in fact, have an extra shirt. So he took his necessities and made his way to the washroom.

He came back in his linen pants and shirt, and found Duna sitting on her bed, writing in her journal. She looked up at him with a smile as he set his armor beside the other bed.

"I usually sleep shirtless when I'm inside, but I won't if it'll bother you," he told her a little sheepishly.

"Oh, uh... you won't bother me," Duna said, but she looked down, seeming to be very focused on her journal, and Farkas distinctly noticed a sight blush across her face.

"Alright then," Farkas replied. He gave a nonchalant shrug, but payed careful attention to the sound of her pulse and breathing as he took his shirt off. For several moments there was very little change, but then he heard her glance up and take a sharp breath... he looked over his shoulder and turned around as he caught her staring. Her blush turned from a light pink to a dark red and she quickly looked back at her journal. Farkas resisted the urge to chuckle.

"You sure?" He asked in an even tone instead.

"Yeah," Duna nodded, still looking at her journal, "it's not like I've never seen a naked man..."

Farkas listened to her pulse... it was a half-truth... he raised an eyebrow at her with a suspicious smirk. Her flustered expression told him she was still watching him in her peripheral vision.

"I mean... as long as you count medical tomes and the dead soldier I pulled my first armor set off of..." she admitted with a grumble.

"Ah," Farkas did chuckle then. He had been pretty sure from her scent and the stories of her sheltered life that she was a virgin. He thought about telling her he hadn't exactly seen many naked women himself... there had been some occurrences with his shield-sisters getting injured resulting in him seeing some things while wounds were being treated, but he'd never been romantically involved with anyone. His attraction to the curvature of the female figure was purely an instinctual thing... but it didn't feel like the right time to bring up such things. He sat down on his bed, and pulled back the blankets. "Don't worry, I'll keep my pants on," he told her with a smile. She gave an embarrassed smirk at that, and went back to writing in her journal. Farkas settled into bed, wondering what she was writing about.

A few moments later she shut her journal and blew out the lantern.

The way his wolf-spirit was reacting to Duna's scent told Farkas he was probably in for a restless night's sleep... if he'd be able to sleep at all...


	8. Steps to High Hrothgar

Farkas slept as well as he'd been expecting, which was terrible. But instead of the urge to go out and hunt keeping him awake like usual, it was the urge to climb into Duna's bed... her wildflower scent with just the hint of smoke was an intoxicating smell. Farkas looked over her sleeping form in the dark... her enticing curves...

With a deep breath Farkas forced his wolf spirit to settle down and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling instead. The image of her blushing as she saw his bare chest played back through his mind... he wasn't very familiar with romance, but he thought her reaction was probably an indication that she was attracted to him... he hoped so at least.

Then it occurred to him that she probably wouldn't stay attracted to him if she found out what he was. After she'd told him a pack of beasts had wiped out the first fighters' guild she'd wanted to join he thought she'd probably be terrified of him... especially if she knew how hard he sometimes had to fight to stay in control of his wolf spirit... or how tempting she was to him...

He briefly entertained the idea that she didn't have to know, but that would be dishonest... and, if he was hoping she would be his mate, it was unrealistic. If he wanted them to trust each other, that was not the kind of secret he could keep.

Farkas sighed and rolled over to his other side, facing away from Duna. His only hope was to keep helping her, let her get to know him and trust him, and then tell her himself when the time was right... and hope it didn't run her off.

He did finally manage to doze off, but it was a fitful night sleep to say the least. It was a good thing he was used to working on very little sleep. Duna rose bright and early and, since his beast blood never let him sleep very soundly, Farkas did too.

They set out from the inn after a quick breakfast, and Duna was quick to find the bridge leaving town that the inn keeper had directed her to. They were on their way out of town when Duna overheard two men at the end of the bridge discussing taking deliveries up the mountain. Farkas just listened curiously as Duna stopped to ask them questions. He was a little surprised when Duna volunteered to bring the man's sack of food donations up to High Hrothgar herself. But then the sack the man handed her could easily fit into Duna's enchanted pack, so he didn't see any harm in it. He was noticing that was something else about Duna that he admired; she seemed to just like helping people.

Finally, with no more distractions, they set off up the mountain, and Farkas found he was a bit excited. He'd been all over Skyrim, visited most of the holds, but he'd never been up this mountain. He'd lived near the foot of it for all of his life that he could remember, and now he would finally see what was at the top.

The climb was going well, they happened across a few wolves, but Duna was able to put them each down with a single arrow now. As they got higher there was an ice wolf, which was bigger and meaner than normal wolves, but that just meant it took two arrows instead of one. Then they got up into the snowier sections and Duna pulled out her cloak. Farkas wasn't really bothered by the cold yet, but he had such a nice new cloak he figured he may as well put his on too. They were just about to start walking again when the wind shifted and Farkas caught a whiff of familiar pungent odor...

"Hold on," Farkas said scanning the path ahead of them. Duna stopped in her tracks and looked back in alarm. She pulled her bow out after seeing his expression. Then he saw it... it was sitting on top of a snow covered section of rocks that the trail tunneled underneath. "There's a frost troll," he said quietly, pointing up at it.

"We would have walked right under that..." Duna said wide eyed. "How'd you spot him?"

"Good eyes," Farkas shrugged with a smirk, "that and the things stink something awful."

"So what's the best way to handle it?" She asked uncertainly looking up at the troll.

"From a distance," Farkas replied darkly. "If it starts charging, run and keep shooting if you can."

Duna swallowed nervously. "Alright," she nodded knocking an arrow and taking aim. Farkas pulled out his own bow as well. He wasn't as good a shot as Duna or Aela, but he could usually hit center mass. Duna released her arrow and Farkas let his fly right after. From this distance he wasn't sure if one or both hit but something certainly riled up the troll... it began pounding the snow at its feet and then running angrily across the rocks, trying to get to the path where it could charge them.

"Shit," Duna grumbled as she fired several more arrows. Farkas did likewise, as they began steadily backing up, preparing to run... the troll just made it to the trail when Duna put an arrow through its eye and into its skull and the troll fell and rolled with its momentum nearly halfway to them. They both watched it carefully for several moments before Farkas was certain he couldn't hear its heartbeat anymore. Duna approached carefully...

"It does stink something awful," she grimaced. Farkas chuckled a little.

"Nice shot," he commented approvingly.

"Not retrieving any arrows though," she said in disappointment. The troll had broken most of the arrows when it landed.

"Not sure you'd want 'em anyway," Farkas said lightly, "never get the smell out."

"True," Duna sighed, "I'm going to need more arrows soon though."

"Shouldn't be too hard to find," Farkas replied, "all the shops carry them. Then we can get you something nicer than that iron anyway."

"That's true too," she nodded.

They continued up the path, and Farkas thought they'd probably passed the worst of it. If regular pilgrims could make this journey it couldn't possibly be too perilous... the troll had to have been an unusual occurrence...

Then Duna froze and drew her bow again as they heard a rattling hiss.

"Ice wraith," Farkas warned drawing his hammer and hurrying to her side. The damn things were nearly invisible up here in the driving wind, but he saw it darting towards them.

"A what?" Duna asked in alarm, looking frantically around.

"That!" Farkas answered, lunging forward to try and smash it with his hammer. It was too quick and he missed. He almost stumbled off balance, but just managed to catch himself in the snow. Duna spun in circles trying to shoot it, but it was too quick for her too, finally, she managed to clip it with an arrow, and that slowed it down enough for Farkas to come down on it with his hammer and it smashed into ice shards.

"Th-th-that w-was a-awful..." Duna shuddered. Farkas swore under his breath.

"It got ya?" He asked placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. She nodded, shivering violently, clutching her right arm. "Should just make you cold, and not as bad as those damn spiders." He put both hands on her arms and rubbed vigorously for a few moments, and she huddled closer to him. He opened his cloak and wrapped her in it with him. "You should be good if you just warm up," he said... and he hoped it was true... they'd never been much trouble for him, but then, he was a Nord...

"Th-th-th-thank y-y-you..." she huddled into his arms, tucking her face against the breastplate of his armor, and he kept his arms around her tightly. His wolf spirit growled happily in his chest and it took all of his restraint to not let that happy growl be heard out loud. He finally agreed completely with his wolf spirit on something... this was lovely... he wanted to hold her like this when it wasn't just to keep her warm... he wanted to lean back and kiss her... he wanted run his hands all over her and feel her curves... he wanted to throw his armor in the snow and then rip hers off as well... he wanted...

Farkas blinked. His wolf spirit was getting a bit out of hand... he needed to focus... Duna needed warmth, and probably a healing potion...

"As soon as you're steady enough you should take a healing potion," he suggested in a low tone. Duna pulled back slightly and began fiddling with her potion satchel on her belt. She still tried to stay as close to him as she could, and Farkas tried not to pay attention to the way her hands brushed unintentionally against the waistband of his armor. She found a potion, gulped it down, and put the bottle back in her satchel. Farkas kept the cloak around them both and went back to rubbing her arms and her back.

He tried not to feel disappointed several moments later when she looked gratefully up at him and said,

"Thanks, we should get going now."

"Alright then," he replied evenly as he let her go.

Fortunately, they reached the top without further incident, but Duna was starting to shiver again by the time she dropped the food donation into the large chest by the entrance.

In spite of his worry, Farkas looked around in awe as they approached the monastery at the top of the mountain. Duna walked shivering up the steps and opened the front door. Farkas followed. Inside was dark and had the feeling of being separate from time. Farkas continued looking around in awe as he followed Duna into the entryway.

A man in long dark grey robes and a knotted grey beard approached. Farkas resisted the urge to chuckle at the appropriateness of his appearance.

"So..." the man said in a gentle but graveled sounding voice, "a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age." Farkas wanted to ask what 'turning of the age' meant, but it didn't seem appropriate for him to speak.

"I'm answering your summons," Duna nodded politely.

"We will see if you truly have the gift," the Greybeard replied. "Show us, Dragonborn. Let us taste of your Voice."

Duna raised an eyebrow uncertainly and hesitated.

"Do not be afraid. Your Shout will not harm us," he said reassuringly, and Farkas noticed three other men similarly dressed approaching behind the Greybeard they were speaking with.

"Strike us with the power of your Voice," he encouraged.

"Alright..." Duna said, still sounding uncertain. Farkas remembered the Dragonborns from the stories shouting like dragons, but he'd never seen Duna attempt such a thing...

Duna seemed to concentrate for several moments before looking up at the gathered Greybeards and...

"FUS!" The word shot from her mouth like a shockwave and the four Greybeards staggered as it hit them. Farkas just stared at her in shock while his wolf spirit's interest was peaked again.

"Dragonborn. It is you," the Greybeard said sounding impressed. "Welcome to High Hrothgar. I am master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. Now, tell me, Dragonborn, why have you come here?"

"I'm answering your summons, Master," Duna said politely again. Farkas thought he could tell she'd had a noble upbringing, she always knew how to address someone appropriately.

"We are honored to welcome a Dragonborn to High Hrothgar," master Arngeir answered. "We will do our best to teach you how to use your gift in fulfillment of your destiny."

"I'm ready to learn," Duna nodded eagerly.

"You have shown that you are Dragonborn. You have the inborn gift," Arngeir answered thoughtfully. "But do you have the discipline and temperament to follow the path laid out for you? That remains to be seen... Without training, you have already taken the first steps towards projecting your Voice into a Thu'um, a Shout. Now let us see if you are willing and able to learn."

Farkas followed at a respectful distance as the Greybeards led her further into the monastery. At first he watched curiously as they taught her, she learned quickly, and it was impressive to watch. Then it started to get a little boring and he might have zoned out... he might have been paying more attention to Duna's attractive features than to what anyone around him was saying...

Then they were taking her outside to the courtyard and Farkas had to scramble to keep up.

They spent the rest of the afternoon showing her new shouts and having her practice them.

Finally, Farkas was starting to worry they would need to spend the night or end up walking down the mountain in the dark, and he wasn't fond of either of those ideas... when the Greybeards told her that was all for today. They would continue her training when she retrieved the Horn of Juergen Windcaller from his tomb in Ustengrav. Farkas thought that sounded like more his kind of mission. He was getting tired of sitting around with them talking all day.

They had just enough daylight left to make it down the mountain and have a late dinner at the inn in Ivrastead.


	9. Like a Rabbit in a Trap

The next day they made it back to Jorrvaskr without issue. Duna did request a quick stop on the way back. She wanted to investigate the body of the dragon they'd killed now that there weren't guards all around, pestering her to shout for them.

"What're you gonna do with all this?" Farkas asked curiously as he helped her stuff as many small bones and scales into her gear pack as they could.

"I have no idea," she shrugged, "I just think they're interesting."

"Alright," he chuckled, and they continued on back to Whiterun.

They made it back to Whiterun by evening, and Duna made another quick stop at the Drunken Huntsman to restock her arrows. Then Farkas made sure Duna got at least the remainder of the evening to rest before he reported to Skjor to discuss her trial.

"I'd say you've done your share of babysitting the Dragonborn. If you want someone else to be her shield-sibling for her trial—"

"No," Farkas interrupted Skjor. "I don't mind."

Skjor raised his eyebrows in surprise and Farkas heard Vilkas chuckle.

"Damn," Aela said in surprise. Farkas turned to watch in confusion as she pulled a coin purse out of her pack and tossed it to his brother. Then Skjor did the same.

"You bet on me?" Farkas asked irritably.

"Aye," Vilkas grinned, "I told them you'd want to be Duna's shield-brother for her trial. They thought you'd want a break from the whelp."

"Ah," Farkas said with a simple nod. He was glad he was so good at pretending to be an oblivious idiot because it made shrugging off his brother's implications much easier. He knew Vilkas wasn't fooled by his act, but Skjor and Aela always were. Now was no different.

"I still bet the icebrain won’t realize he’s in love until the woman actually walks up and kisses him." Aela said it quietly to Skjor as she was leaving... she was either looking for a fight, or she hadn't expected Farkas to hear it... Farkas was going to give her the satisfaction of neither...

"It's not that I don't realize it," Farkas spoke up tiredly, "I just don't see what the big deal is." The four other Circle members all looked up at him in surprise. Even Kodlak looked a bit shocked. "Not saying I am," Farkas added with a shrug, "I don't know her well enough to know that yet... but I like her, and I wanna help her."

"You won't just let her pass because you're sweet on her, right?" Skjor asked suspiciously. Farkas wanted to punch Skjor for that suggestion but he still wouldn't give Aela the satisfaction...

He forced a small chuckle instead, "don't think I'd be sweet on her if I didn't think she could pass her trial," he said calmly.

Kodlak chuckled, "I trust you to make a sound decision then."

"Thanks Harbinger," Farkas nodded before taking his leave.

"Tell your Dragonborn to come see me," Skjor ordered as he followed Farkas out of the Harbinger's chambers. Farkas just responded with a grunt and a nod.

He found Duna up at the Skyforge, talking to Eorland. She smiled at him as he walked up the steps.

"Skjor was looking for you," he told her casually. Duna raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's he want?" She asked a little warily.

"He just said he needed to talk to you before you do anything else," Farkas shrugged. Eorland chuckled.

"Go on girl," Eorland said warmly, "I'll see what I can do with this."

"Alright," she smiled at both of them and then made her way back to the hall. Farkas watched her go for a moment, and then turned curiously back to Eorland.

"See what you can do with what?"

"Dragon scales and bones," Eorland answered, gesturing back to the small pile that Duna had left. Farkas cocked his head in confusion, and Eorland continued with another chuckle. "She wanted to know if we could forge something from them... think she wants to make armor."

"That would be some heavy armor," Farkas commented curiously.

"The bones would be heavy," Eorland nodded, "but I think I could make something a bit lighter with the scales. Either way, she's not thinking so much for her self, she asked what it would take to make armor for _you_."

"For _me_?" Farkas repeated in surprise.

"Mmhmm," Eorland nodded, "said you were helping her with some dragon hunting."

"I'm planning to," Farkas said as he tried to wrap his mind around what the old man was telling him. "You think you can do it?"

"It'll take me some time to figure out, but I think so."

"That would be something..." Farkas said thoughtfully looking at the dragon bones.

"Aye," Eorland agreed.

Farkas was still looking curiously over the dragon scales when Duna came back looking for him. She looked confused and uncertain.

"Skjor said he's sending me on my trial..." Duna said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "we go find this blade piece and I watch you to make sure you're honorable. Then I can make you part of my family," he explained with a smile. Duna nodded.

"So this is something we should do before Ustengrav..." she reasoned.

"Up to you," he shrugged, "Eorland'll make you your own skyforge steel weapon if you're one of us though."

"Alright," she nodded, with an excited look back at the forge. "And you're going to be my shield-brother?" She asked.

"So I'm told," Farkas grinned back at her. "Let's see if you impress," he added with a teasing smirk. Her expression suddenly shifted to nervous at that and Farkas laughed. "You'll do fine," he said patting her shoulder.

Farkas followed Duna back to the hall and to her room where she gathered a few of her things. Then she pulled out a large map.

"So where are we going?" She asked looking a little lost as she scanned the map.

"Dustman's Cairn," Farkas replied. "It should be an old burial site around there," he pointed to the spot on the map.

Duna nodded uneasily, and Farkas watched her trace her finger along the nearest roads. "You know how to get there?" She asked a moment later.

"Mostly," Farkas shrugged, "never been there but I know the area."

Duna just nodded at that and rolled her map back up.

An hour later, they were off on their way to Dustman's Cairn.

Duna stopped at several points to consult her map, but she never got them lost. They were a little over halfway there by sunset.

They found a functional spot to set up camp against small section of boulders and Duna built the fire while Farkas cleared spots for their bedrolls... he might have put the spaces closer together than he would have if he were camping with anyone else... if Duna noticed she didn't comment.

They made small talk as they ate the food he'd packed for them, and Duna asked if they needed to sleep in shifts since they were outside, but Farkas told her not to worry about it.

"I'm a light sleeper," he explained, "nothing'll sneak up on us."

The night passed without issue... mostly. Like usual, Farkas slept terribly... and just like the nights in Ivrastead, his wolf wasn't urging him to get up and hunt... it wanted him to crawl over to Duna's bedroll... to hold her in his arms... to make her his... he settled for listening to her heartbeat and appreciating her smell... she had sweat, dust, and campfire smoke from their journey that day, but there was still that sweet, smoky wildflower scent... Farkas was coming to find he loved that smell.

As soon as the sun began to light the sky he got up and began stoking the fire back up. Duna stirred once the sun rose, and Farkas watched from the corner of his eye as she stretched and fixed her armor. She she really was lovely to look at... 

They ate breakfast as they walked, and reached Dustman's Cairn by midmorning.

Something seemed off to Farkas as they approached the ancient tomb, but he couldn't put his finger on what. As they entered he immediately noticed the ground seemed too recently disturbed... probably something to do with the scholar who’d given Skjor the tip on the blade piece, he thought, but it was still best to be cautious.

"Looks like someone's been digging here. And recently. Tread lightly," he advised. Duna nodded, readying her bow and carefully stepping through the passageway. Farkas followed closely. The passageway opened up into a room and Duna proceeded slowly in. "Be careful around the burial stones," he warned, "I don't want to haul you back to Jorrvaskr on my back."

She looked back at him a little nervously, and looked like she was about to say something, but then a draugr burst from one of the sarcophagi. Duna jumped, but her frightened reaction was to fire her readied arrow into its face, and it was dead again before Farkas could even react.

Then she looked back at him with a nervous smile, "no problem." Farkas let out a chuckle but didn't say anything. When nothing else moved, they began to search the room. There didn't appear to be any way out except for the one they'd come in.

"Maybe this is it..." he heard Duna say from a small alcove. There was a loud clang and Farkas spun around with a start, only to relax a little as he heard Duna's voice again, "...or maybe not..." she grumbled quietly. Farkas walked up to see what she'd done; she'd pulled a lever that she'd expected would open a passageway, but instead it had dropped a gate, trapping her inside the small alcove.

"Now look what you've gotten yourself into," he teased. She just looked back at him in embarrassment and tried the lever again. It didn't budge. "No worries," Farkas chuckled, "Just sit tight. I'll find the release."

He turned to look for another hidden alcove but was suddenly aware of movement in the room... it wasn't draugr. He smelled flesh and blood... and then he smelled the silver...

He pulled his hammer from his back as seven Silver Hand members rushed in, and he heard Duna swear and draw her bow.

"It's over dog," one of the Silver Hand said with a sadistic grin, "we knew you'd be coming here!"

So it was a trap, Farkas thought angrily. He sized up his opposition... Duna wouldn't be any help trapped behind that gate... it was seven against one... he didn't like those odds...

"Which one is that?" Another Silver Hand asked.

"Doesn't matter," the first one snarled, "he wears that armor he dies!"

All Farkas could think about was that he had to protect Duna, but seven to one odds didn't look good... for a man... this wasn't how he wanted her to find out but he didn't see any way around it...

He spared a brief glance back at Duna, desperately hoping she would understand what she was about to see... that she would believe he only wanted to protect her... that she would still trust him once she knew...

"Killing you will make an excellent story," another Silver Hand taunted him.

"None of you will be alive to tell it," Farkas growled, turning back to the advancing enemies. His mind made up, he dropped his hammer, and with a furious roar, he let his wolf spirit surge to the surface.   


The one that seemed to be acting as the leader charged in as Farkas was mid-transformation and caught him with a slash of his silver sword across his forearm. The silver burned as it cut him, and with another roar Farkas back handed the man, sending him tumbling and crashing into the far wall. The rest of the Silver Hand members raised their silver weapons and charged, but by then, Farkas was fully in his wolf form. He stood twice as tall and his claws were bigger than some of their swords. He slashed through two of them at once and sunk his teeth into the neck of a third as he gave into his wolf spirit's bloodlust.

In a few short minutes they were all dead at his feet. He barely remembered how the last three had died, he'd let his wolf have a little too much control. Farkas took several deep breaths in his huge wolf body as he tried to reign the wolf spirit back in.

He turned his head to glance back at Duna. She was backed up against the back wall of the alcove, clutching her bow tightly, and staring back through the gate at him. He could clearly hear her heart pounding and her expression reminded him of a rabbit in a trap. Farkas's heart sank as he realized she smelled of absolute terror.

Farkas took a few more deep breaths and began willing his body to turn back. He felt his fur beginning to recede when he suddenly realized he was about to be a naked man, standing in front of Duna. He snatched his discarded armor and dashed for the side of the room out of her view.

He composed and dressed himself as quickly as he could. After that it only took him a minute to find the other lever. He heard the gate slide up with a loud clank as he pulled it. With another deep breath he turned back to face Duna. He found her crouched in the back of the alcove she'd been trapped in, with her bow aimed out at him.

"I hope I didn't scare you," he said sheepishly, desperately hoping that would calm her down... but it didn't. For a tense moment she didn't respond and Farkas just listened to her frantic heartbeat as she kept her arrow trained on him. Her expression said it all; yes, he definitely had scared her. "Duna, I'm still me," he added quietly, "I won't hurt you."  
Then she took a shaky breath and slowly lowered her bow, but she kept the arrow on the string. Farkas grimaced; her mistrustful gaze hurt his heart.

"What was that?" She asked in a trembling voice.

"It's a blessing given to some of us," Farkas tried to explain it in a positive light. "We can be like wild beasts. Fearsome."

"You're going to make me a werewolf?" Duna's voice squeaked in fear.

"Oh, no." Farkas shook his head. "Only the Circle have the beastblood." She didn't look reassured. She looked like she was terrified of him now. Farkas sighed. At the very least he had to make sure she wouldn't run off and tell their secret. "Prove your honor to be a Companion," he added a little gruffly as he tried to keep the heartbreak from his voice. "'Eyes on the prey, not the horizon.' We should keep moving. Still the draugr to worry about," he reminded her.

Duna nodded silently and took a deep breath before stepping around him, keeping her arrow nocked and her fingers on the string. Farkas followed with a bit more distance than before, and with his chest feeling like lead.

That definitely wasn’t how he wanted her to find out...


	10. Uneasy Questions

As they continued through Dustmans Cairn, Farkas let his depression give way to anger... not at Duna at all, but at the Silver Hand... if they hadn't disrupted Duna's trial he could have told her about his beast blood in his own way, at an appropriate time... now he was sure she was traumatized by him and all his hopes for the relationship he wanted to build were gone.

Fortunately anger was more useful than depression; depression would have had him give up, but anger fueled him to keep going.

There were a few more Silver Hand hiding out in the cairn, several of which fell to Farkas's hammer before they could draw their weapons, and Duna took the rest of them out with her bow before they even saw her. She also took out most of the draugr; Farkas only had to handle a few with his hammer. There were also a few spiders, but none of them were as big as the one they'd found in Bleakfalls Barrow.

Duna seemed to calm down some as they made their way through the passageways, but Farkas still noticed she was keeping her distance from him. She didn't crouch close to him for cover anymore, or jump toward him when something startled her... it just made him more angry at the Silver Hand.

Then they found the room with the fragment of Wuuthrad.

"Is this it?" Duna asked, carefully picking up the fragment from the pedestal it was on.

"Looks like it," Farkas grunted. He was about to comment on the wall of ancient dragon text like the one they'd seen in the barrow, but then he heard draugr stirring in their sarcophagi. He drew his hammer as several popped open and the ancient undead Nords rushed at them.

Duna jumped back and was soon shooting arrows. The draugr all swarmed towards him... there were more in this chamber than had been in the other rooms, and the sarcophagi were arranged all around the room, so it was easy for the draugr to surround him as they emerged. Several fell to Duna's bow before they reached him, but there were too many... Farkas was tired from his transformation and he was starting to worry he was going to be overwhelmed, but then suddenly...

"FUS RO!" Two draugr behind him were sent flying and moments later Duna was standing at his back, with her sword and dagger drawn.

He wasn't able to really watch her as much as he wanted to as they fought, but he could tell her training with Athis had been paying off. After several adrenaline filled minutes a total of seventeen draugr lay dead, and nothing else moved. Farkas looked back over his shoulder to see Duna sheath her sword and dagger with a sigh. She pulled her bow back out and continued scanning the room.

"That all of them?" She asked a moment later in a nervous voice.

"Think so," he nodded, he didn’t smell anymore. "You alright?"

"...Yeah," she replied, but she still sounded hesitant.

She had just rushed in to fight at his back, but she was still afraid of him, he realized sadly.

...but she did at least still care enough to have come to help him... It was exactly what a shield-sister was supposed to do.

"You did good," he commented in an even tone, "you'll be a good Companion."

"Thanks," she mumbled. She didn't sound happy, and she looked down, avoiding his eyes. "I'm going to check out that dragon word wall before we get out of here," she added before taking off and jumping quickly back up to the wall.

Farkas just watched as she looked over the wall and one of the words lit up for a moment... he'd noticed that was what they did when she learned a new word for a dragon shout. He put his hammer back on his back and walked slowly up to stand behind her, but he made sure to stay several yards back.

"We need to get back to Jorrvaskr," Farkas reminded her gently, when she turned back around.

"Right," she nodded, she sounded uneasy again, but then, "let's go," she added.

"Smells like there's a way out this way," Farkas commented nodding his head up toward the back of the chamber. There was no point in trying to hide how he knew these things now. Duna nodded and headed up in the direction he indicated.

It didn't take long for them to find the back exit, and soon, the cool night air hit his face as they made it out of the cairn. Duna didn't run down the trail excitedly like she did when they left the barrow... she didn't laugh happily in disbelief of her accomplishments... she just walked quietly, looking lost in thought, smelling nervous.

"We can make camp, or walk through the night," Farkas said evenly, "your choice."

"Camp would be nice," Duna said quietly, "it's been a long day."

"It has," Farkas agreed.

They walked a little ways until they came to a suitable spot to set up camp. Farkas cleared space for their bedrolls, and Duna gathered kindling for a fire. Farkas dug in his enchanted pack for more of his food rations. He found a loaf of bread, a few pieces of cheese, and a chunk of dried venison as Duna got the fire lit. For several minutes they ate in relative silence, as Duna frequently looked up, scanning their surroundings, looking nervous and lost in thought. Then Duna looked over at him curiously.

"So, the Companions are werewolves..." she said quietly. It sounded more like a depressing realization than a question.

"Not everyone, but all in the Circle are," Farkas clarified. "It's a secret to everybody," he added meaningfully. To his relief Duna nodded at that.

"You've been keeping my secret. I'll keep yours," she replied, and then she looked up at him seriously. Farkas noticed she still smelled afraid... she took a deep breath and continued. "So... you've been helping and protecting me... but... why?" Her pulse picked up a bit more as she spoke, "I'm sorry I have to ask but... you keep me safe from bandits and draugr, but... am... am I actually safe from _you_?"

Farkas winced slightly. Part of him was impressed she had the guts to ask such a question if she was that afraid of him... but for the most part, that question just hurt.

He held her gaze with a sad expression, and he hoped she could see he was honest as he simply answered, "you are." He wondered if she'd been scanning their surroundings looking for a way to escape from him...

Duna just seemed to consider him thoughtfully for several moments, appearing to have an internal debate...

"But _why_ did you decide to help me?" She asked again several moments later. Farkas wasn't sure how to answer that one. She'd intrigued him ever since he met her... his wolf spirit sensed something in her that he liked... something he wanted... that probably wasn't an answer that would put her at ease now though... he wasn't sure what kind of answer she was looking for.

"Why not," he shrugged, "I don't like over thinking things. You seemed honorable, and you've been a good friend to me. That means something." He watched her expression hopefully as he continued, "I don't like just sitting around and talking to most people. But I like you, and Kodlak said it would be honorable to help you."

Duna let out a deep sigh at that and he smelled her fear calm just a little.

"You've been a good friend to me too," she said with a slight smile, but then she looked uncertain again. "But... I still don't get it," she said hesitantly, "I read that werewolves are feral beasts that slaughter indiscriminately..."

Farkas sighed understandingly. "Most are," he shrugged, "but we learned to control it and not let it control us. It makes us stronger, but we're still honorable."

Duna just nodded thoughtfully and was quiet for several moments.

"So then how _does_ it affect you?" She asked nervously.

Farkas had to think for a moment before answering, it had been so long since he really thought about how things had been before the beast blood...

"Beast blood keeps me alert so I don't sleep well," he began with a shrug, "I'm stronger and can outlast most men in a fight... honestly not sure if that's 'cause of the blood or the training though." Duna looked to be listening attentively and he continued, "I can hear, see, and smell better too... I don't turn into the beast unless I have to, and well, you saw what that looks like," Farkas shrugged again, and Duna nodded, but looked a little uncomfortable. "But I'm still me when I do..." he added, "still think the same. I can just fight like a beast instead of a man."

"Ok, so no uncontrollable urges to attack me...?" Duna commented nervously.

"No," Farkas shook his head firmly, "maybe one to protect you, but never hurt you."

"Ok..." Duna said with a relieved sounding sigh, but she still searched his face for any signs of dishonesty.

"I _want_ to keep trusting you..." she said quietly after several moments, "but... I just... I don't know, I wasn't expecting... _that_. It's a lot to take in," she added. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I... I need some time to think..."

"Nothing to be sorry for," Farkas shook his head sadly. "_I'm_ sorry. That... uh... that wasn't how I wanted you to find out," he admitted.

"You were going to tell me...?" she asked with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

"I was," Farkas nodded. "Hadn't figured out how or when, but I wasn't planning on keeping it from you."

Duna just nodded at that, still looking thoughtful.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he added quietly, "I just couldn't risk what they'd've done to you if I couldn't hold them off, and I wasn't sure I could take all seven of them as a man."

Duna looked up at him with wide eyes and Farkas could see she hadn't considered that... she hadn't realized what would have happened to her if he had fallen to their silver swords...

"Th-thank you," she said quietly as she looked back down into the fire. "I... I didn't think about that..."

Farkas just nodded and gave her a small smile, but she looked troubled and lost in thought.

They settled into a slightly awkward silence as they finished eating while Farkas let Duna think.

Finally, Duna stretched and turned to collect her things. Farkas watched her with a sad expression as she loosened her armor and pulled out her bedroll and settled into it. He noticed she had ignored the spots he'd cleared and placed her bedroll much farther away from him than she'd been the night before.

"You sure you don't need me to take a watch?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sure," Farkas nodded. "The beast blood makes me a light sleeper, when it lets me sleep at all," he explained.

"Oh, right," she nodded before rolling over with her back to the dying fire.

Farkas could tell from the sound of her breathing that it took Duna at least an hour to fall asleep. Farkas lay awake in his own bedroll for several hours after that, listening to Duna's heartbeat and breathing as she slept fitfully. He wondered how long she'd need to think... and what exactly she was thinking about... either way he was pretty sure he'd lost the hope of forming that relationship that he wanted... she might decide to let him keep helping her, but he would be surprised if she was interested in anything more. He just hoped she'd at least come with him back to Jorrvaskr...

But then the next morning Farkas woke to the sound of her quietly climbing out of her bedroll. Then he heard her, so very quietly, begin to roll her bedroll. He wondered if she was hoping to sneak away and leave him... he decided not to move... to just lay there, pretending to be asleep and see what she did...

It pretty quickly became obvious she was trying to pack up without waking him. Listening to her quietly gather her things just broke his heart all over again... and then she sat down and he heard her unroll her map. Farkas listened to her pulse and her breathing for several moments, and he was just starting to hope she was waiting for him to get up and join her... but then he heard her scribble a few things, and roll the map back up. Farkas just listened sadly as she got up, and quietly crept away. The gentle shifting of rocks as she went the only indication of the direction she'd gone.

Farkas didn't move for several minutes. He just lay in his bedroll, debating what to do. He couldn't go back to Jorrvaskr without her... or at least not without the blade piece... and he really shouldn't let an outsider who'd just learned the secret of the Circle just escape like that... It had never occurred to him that Duna might betray them, but now that she'd just tried to sneak away from him the thought did cross his mind.

'Vilkas was right,' Farkas thought bitterly, 'I am a naive, foolish optimist.'

But he still didn't know what to do about that. He was sure he could follow her scent and track her... but what would he do when he caught up? He was pretty sure that stalking her across Skyrim would only make her more afraid of him... but he did need to retrieve the fragment of Wuuthrad... but he wanted to help Duna, not run her off completely...

Before he could come up with any more ideas, however, Farkas's thoughts were interrupted by a sound of large wings coming over the mountains. Swearing, he jumped up, grabbed his hammer and his bow, and dashed off in the direction that he'd heard Duna go.


	11. Detour

Duna's scent was easy to find, and Farkas caught up to her easily, but so had the dragon. He found her several yards off the road, darting back and forth through the rocks, trying to avoid the dragon's fire as she frantically shot arrows at it. Farkas nocked an arrow on to his own bow, took aim and fired. He hit it somewhere on its scaled side, which just alerted the angry dragon to his presence. The dragon shot a gout of fire in his direction as it made another pass. Fortunately, Farkas had jumped up without strapping half of his armor back on, so he was much lighter and quicker on his feet than normal and dodging the fire was easy.

After several more passes and a lot of arrows, Duna managed to lodge an arrow into the dragon's shoulder joint, and it came crashing to the ground with a furious roar. Farkas swapped to his hammer and charged in. Duna took several more shots with her bow before she pulled her sword and charged in too. They took turns swinging at the dragon's face and neck as it thrashed from side to side, trying to snap at each of them. Then Duna got her opening and jumped on to its head, stabbing her sword into the back of its neck.

Farkas jumped back and watched in amazement as the dragon collapsed to the ground, dead.

Farkas just watched Duna as the dragon began to disintegrate and she absorbed its soul. It was even more awe inspiring than the first time had been... he couldn't believe they'd taken the beast down just the two of them.

She jumped down from the dragon, and Farkas could smell her excitement and adrenaline from where he stood... it was arousing... it was amazing how far she'd come from the scared little rabbit he'd met only a few weeks ago...

Then she looked up at him with an almost embarrassed look on her beautiful face.

"Well, so much for letting you sleep," she grumbled sheepishly as she approached him. Farkas just cocked an eyebrow at her in confusion, and Duna explained; "you said you don't sleep well, so I wanted to let you sleep as much as you could." Farkas's heart skipped hopefully, but he kept his expression questioning.

"Where were you off to?" He asked suspiciously.

"I was hoping to hunt something for breakfast," she admitted, looking at her feet with a blush across her cheeks. "The... uh... the dragon wasn't what I had in mind."

Farkas just gave a chuckle at that, still trying to process what she was saying.

"Thanks for backing me up though," she added in an even more embarrassed whisper.

Farkas suddenly realized nothing in her breathing or pulse sounded dishonest... she actually might not have been trying to sneak away from him... she was just trying to let him rest... because he told her the beast blood didn't let him sleep well...

Farkas almost dared to hope that she wasn't running away from him, that she cared about him...

"No problem," Farkas smiled as this new realization and hope sunk in. "We should get back to Jorrvaskr," he added happily, "this'll make a good story."

But then Duna's smile faltered and she began sounding nervous again, making Farkas question what he thought he'd just realized.

"Oh... about that... I..." she faltered and looked back at the dragon, "uh... I thought maybe... we should go to Ustengrav first...?" She turned back to him with a scared but hopeful expression. "It actually makes the most sense, she added quickly, pulling her map out, "see, we're all the way out here, and Ustengrav is only about a day north, but it's nearly three days from Whiterun. So if we just go now we'll be saving nearly six days round-trip." She pointed to several marked points on her map.

Farkas looked skeptically at the map. He could tell from everything about Duna's body language that convenience was not the only reason she wanted to detour to Ustengrav...

Farkas looked from the map back to Duna with a confused expression. Duna sighed.

"I think I... I mean... I trust you..." she said quietly, "I'm just... not ready to go back to the rest of the Companions yet."

"Why?" Farkas asked sadly. He heard Duna's pulse begin to increase and she looked to be fearfully considering her words. Farkas knew why... he'd been hoping to talk about it and reassure her, but he regretted asking as soon as he saw her scared expression.

"I... I want to figure out more of my destiny as Dragonborn first," she said nervously, "I don't know how much time we have for that, and... and Ustengrav is near by..."

"Alright," Farkas sighed. It was good point, and at least she wasn't running from him... just everyone else... "We can go back as soon as you're ready," he added in a gentle tone.

"Really?" Duna looked up at him in surprise and Farkas realized she'd been expecting him to argue...

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "we shouldn't delay too long, they are waiting for us, but we've still got some time."

"Thank you," Duna said with a relieved sounding sigh, and he could smell her adrenaline dissipating.

"Let's get going," Farkas replied with a nod. He hoped this detour would give her the time she needed... and hopefully she'd still at least be his shield-sister one day.

When they got back to finish packing up camp, Farkas discovered the thing that Duna had scribbled on before rolling her map back up. Sitting in plain view, partly underneath a fist-sized rock, was a delicately torn scrap of parchment with a short note written on it.

_"Farkas,_

_Didn't want to wake you. Going to try hunting, be back soon."_

Farkas just smiled as he read and then reread the note... it really was true; she hadn't been trying to leave him.

They packed up the rest of their meager campsite, and soon they were back on the road, heading away from Jorrvaskr.

"I've got enough rations to last us about two more days," Farkas told her as he pulled a few strips of dried meat out of his pack for breakfast. "We'll have to hunt something to make it stretch to Ustengrav and then back to Jorrvaskr."

"That should be manageable," Duna nodded thoughtfully as Farkas handed her a piece of the jerky, "right?"

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed.

"Unless we could find an inn," Duna commented a few moments later, pulling her map back out. "What about... Morthal?" She asked, reading the obviously unfamiliar town name from her map.

"That's not too far out of the way," Farkas shrugged as he looked over her shoulder at the map.

"Is there an inn there?"

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "not the most popular place if I remember right, but it's got beds and a roof."

"Well that's all we’d need..." Duna said thoughtfully looking at the map again. "If we just head there now we'll be there by afternoon..."

"Not sure we need to waste a whole afternoon in Morthal..." Farkas replied skeptically.

"But it'll be nice to wash up after all the bandits and draugr," Duna suggested, looking up at him with a small smile. "Besides, you did say I needed to buy you a drink after Bleakfalls Barrow..."

Farkas felt like his heart did a somersault at that. She didn't even really smell afraid of him anymore, a bit nervous still, but not afraid...

"Alright then," he smiled, "you don't have to, but I won't complain."

"I know. I want to," she smiled a bit more, but then Farkas noticed her eyes didn't have the same warmth that she'd smiled at him with before. There was still a hint of fear in her eyes. He hoped she wasn't just trying to be nice to hide that she was afraid of him...

As they walked down the road Farkas thought that killing another dragon and then convincing him to go to Morthal must have put Duna in a more confident mood. She began to quicken her pace; hopping over rocks and small boulders with a smile on her face instead of following every turn in the road. It reminded him of how she’d skipped down the trail after they cleared Bleakfalls Barrow. Farkas had to jog at a few points to keep up, but he was enjoying seeing her adorable energetic side coming back.  
  


They reached Morthal by late afternoon, and Farkas watched in mild amusement as Duna looked around in surprise at the tiny town.

"And I thought Riverwood was small..." Duna whispered.

"Not much here besides the inn and the lumber mill," Farkas replied quietly. Then an icy wind whipped off the water and Duna shuddered.

"Is it always this cold here?" She asked as she wrapped her cloak more tightly around her.

"Nah, it gets colder in the winter," Farkas smirked.

Duna looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and Farkas couldn't help but chuckle at his own joke. To his relief, Duna giggled too before turning to look for the inn.

Farkas pointed out the Moorside Inn, and then followed as Duna quickly made her way up the steps and to the door. As they opened the door Farkas was reminded of why the inn was so unpopular...

The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and Farkas could smell a good, hearty stew cooking, but the so-called bard in the corner was singing and playing a badly tuned lute. Farkas couldn't tell if he was singing 'Age of Aggression' or 'Age of Oppression,' but either way he was butchering it badly... mixing lyrics and singing off key... and the out of tune lute was grating on Farkas's ears.

Farkas noticed Duna staring at the orc in disbelief before she looked up at him.

"I might have figured out why this town is so small," she whispered, mirroring Farkas's pained expression.

Farkas half-stifled a chuckle at that, which caused the orc to look up at them.

"A new face! Such a welcome sight in dreary old Morthal," he exclaimed, stopping mid-lyric, letting the lute give a horrible jostled sounding thrum as he motioned to them. "Welcome friends, welcome!"

"Thank you," Duna nodded with a forced polite smile before she quickly turned for the bar. Farkas nodded as well and quickly followed Duna.

"Welcome to the Moorside Inn. Glad to finally have some customers," the Redguard woman behind the bar greeted. "Ignore the Orc. He pays, so I let him stay," she added when she noticed Farkas cringe as another bad note hit his ears.

"Ah," Duna nodded.

"If I had any customers, I'd worry that he'd be annoying them, but..." she gave a bitter half-chuckle, "look around."

"I see," Duna nodded again. Farkas zoned out a little taking in the scents and sounds around him as Duna asked the innkeeper about the town and about business and the war. Based mostly on scent, he was pretty sure they were the only ones in the inn besides the orc and the innkeeper.

Then Farkas's attention was drawn back to the two women as Duna asked for two rooms. He was a little disappointed, but not at all surprised. He would have been more surprised if Duna had wanted to share a room with him... especially now. The innkeeper happily handed them each a key and Duna paid her. Farkas was surprised she paid for his room.

"I'm going to go wash off this draugr smell, then we can get dinner," Duna said quietly as she turned toward her room. Farkas still thought she smelled more like wildflowers than draugr... she had maybe a bit of a dusty-crypt scent, but not the stale old bones scent... but he wasn’t about to say anything about that in front of the innkeeper.

"Alright," he nodded gently before turning to his own room.

Once he shut his door Farkas was disappointed to notice he could still hear the bard's out of tune lute.

He set his things down and changed out of his armor. Then he made use of the wash basin while he tried to ignore that damn orc...

Farkas was pretty sure he could play that lute better than the orc currently was...

Vilkas had given him a lute mostly as a joke one year when they were younger, and for several months afterward Farkas had regularly made as much obnoxious noise with the thing as he possibly could. By the time that joke got old, however, Farkas had figured out how to make most of the sounds the instrument was capable of, and he'd seen enough real bards to have a pretty good idea of how it was supposed to be played, so over the years he'd secretly continued figuring it out, and then actually practiced a bit when he was bored.

Once he was confident that he didn't still stink, he changed into a fresh shirt and pants and made his way back to the hall.

Aside from the orc who thought he could sing, it was actually a nice inn. The walls were sturdy and well-made, and the hearth in the center of the room had a warm glowing fire.

Farkas found a seat at one of the tables that was closer to the bar than the bard, and when the innkeeper came to ask he ordered two bowls of whatever she was cooking. He didn't want to let Duna pay for _everything_.

Duna came out not long after that, wearing her long, linen sleeping tunic and a pair of loose pants. Farkas smiled a little as he breathed in her familiar scent. Her hair was clean and hanging in damp waves around her face, and her skin was a little paler looking as she'd actually washed off a layer of dirt.

She smiled nervously at him as she walked up to join him at the table. It reminded Farkas of when they'd first met... how nervous and uncertain she'd been then...

Farkas's train of thought was interrupted by the bard playing another series of off key notes. Duna cringed and looked over at the orc...

The orc saw her turn to look at him and clearly misunderstood her pained expression...

"Don't fret over the gloom, there's nothing to fear! Old Lurbuk will brighten your spirits -- just lend him your ear," the bard declared happily before breaking into what was probably supposed to be a rendition of 'Ragnar the Red.'

Duna nodded uncomfortably at him and turned back to Farkas, just as the innkeeper brought their bowls of stew out. Duna raised an eyebrow at Farkas in confusion, and Farkas just smirked at her. She looked like she was about to say something, but then the innkeeper called out to the orc;

"Give it a rest Lurbuk, the food's done."

Thankfully, Lurbuk didn't argue, and they were at least able to eat in peace. Duna bought them some drinks and seemed to be comfortable in his company, but she didn't say much to him as she ate. Farkas tried to think of ways to start a conversation but nothing came to him. Instead he just found himself wishing for the hundredth time that he had his brother's way with words.

Then Farkas noticed the orc head off to his room... and he had left his lute... Farkas didn't know how long the bard would be gone, but he just had to do something about that out of tune lute...

"Need to either tune that lute or break it," he said quietly to Duna as he got up from his seat. Duna looked over to Lurbuk's lute, and to Lurbuk's closed door, and then back to Farkas.

"Please do," she nodded, and Farkas was happy to notice she had the hint of a mischievous smile on her face as she watched him.

He picked up the lute gingerly and gave it an experimental strum... it was awful. Farkas sighed and sat down with the instrument. He began plucking the strings one at a time, listening carefully... it would have been so much easier if he had good note for reference, but he wasn't about to touch Lurbuk's flute.

Finally, he just decided to completely loosen all the strings and start trying to tune it back up from there.

It took him several minutes, and more than once he almost got distracted by the realization that Duna was watching him in fascination. Finally, he thought he had it at least in tune with itself... he gave it another strum.

"Divines, that sounds a lot better," Duna said with an awed expression. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"Vilkas got me a lute once as a joke, so I learned to play it just to spite him," Farkas shrugged with a smirk.

"Could you play something?" She asked eagerly. Farkas just smiled and gave the lute another strum as he tried to remember a tune. He'd never been formally taught, but he'd always had good ears. He slowly began to pick at the strings and find the notes he was looking for. Farkas couldn't remember where Morthal stood on the war, so he wasn't sure if 'Age of Aggression' or 'Age of Oppression' would be appropriate, so he just hummed as he played, periodically looking up to find Duna watching in amazement.

Maybe he could still win her over, he thought... just maybe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Farkas's voice actor is also a singer, so head-cannon: Farkas can sing. (Not that he necessarily does very often, but he can.)


	12. Ustengrav

To Farkas's surprise, Duna was up before him again, but this time, instead of sneaking off, she was gently knocking at his door. She'd already packed and purchased several dried meats and bread from the innkeeper, and Farkas thought it should be enough to get them to Ustengrav and back to Whiterun.

They had breakfast at the bar in a comfortable silence, but then Lurbuk came out of his room. One look at Duna told Farkas she was thinking the same thing he was. They didn't expect the lute being in tune would do much to improve the bard's playing.

Farkas and Duna quickly gathered the rest of their breakfast and made for the door. They set out on the northeast road just after sunrise. The road was small and unpaved, and it soon turned into more of a trail than an actual road.

The weather was clear and sunny, but there was a cold wind at their backs. Farkas didn't like that wind...

"We'll wanna be careful," he warned once they'd gotten out of town, "with this wind I won't be able to smell any trouble before we're right on it."

"Good to know," Duna nodded, pausing to scan their surroundings cautiously.

"Should still be able to hear it with some warning, but not as much," he added.

Duna glanced back at him with a curious look of realization on her face.

"That's how you spotted the troll on our way to High Hrothgar... you could smell it, couldn't you?"

"Yeah," Farkas admitted a little sheepishly. Duna just nodded, her expressiong told Farkas that she'd realized something else as well, but she didn't say any more as they continued along the trail. She sounded nervous again, but Farkas wasn't sure if that was because of his warning or because of whatever she'd realized.

For most of the morning their trip was uneventful, but then, when they must have been about halfway there, Farkas heard the rallying howl of a hunting wolf pack somewhere up ahead of them. Farkas swore and reached for his hammer while Duna went for her bow.

"Sounds like three of 'em," Farkas warned, but then one of the wolves lunged out from behind a large rock beside the trail before Duna could get an arrow nocked. Startled, Duna thrust her bow up in front of her with both hands, holding the vicious beast back. Farkas smashed the two others that charged in with a single swing of his hammer for each, and he was about to go after the one in front of Duna when she suddenly took a deep breath and...

"YOL!"

A stream of fire shot from Duna's mouth, engulfing the wolf and throwing it backwards... Farkas just stared at her in awe; she was breathing fire... just like a dragon... he didn't know she could do that...

"Wow..." Farkas marveled as the charred, dead wolf hit the rocks at the edge of the trail. Duna looked back at him with a small smile that just made Farkas's heart pound. She was the fearsome, legendary Dragonborn... and she was still adorable.

"That was the word I found back in the cairn," she explained, "I wasn't expecting it to have quite that much... power..." she turned back to look thoughtfully at the burned wolf corpse, but then a moment later she looked sadly down at her bow. The top arm had deep gouges from the wolf's teeth. "And it looks like I'll need a new bow," she sighed.

"Eorland probably has a good bow or two for sale," Farkas shrugged. He'd buy her one himself if it meant she'd go back to Jorrvaskr with him.

Duna turned back to him with a small, resigned looking smile and sighed.

"Guess we'll just have to see if this one holds out that long," she said with a shrug.

Farkas's gut tightened a bit at that... how long was she planning to stay away?

He didn't want to make her nervous again by pressing the matter, so he just nodded as they continued up the path.

They were approaching the tomb by early afternoon. Farkas could see the ancient Nordic markers surrounding the raised section of ground, and further surrounding that was a lake to one side, and an evergreen forest on the other. Then, since the wind had finally shifted, Farkas noticed the smell two men hiding near the stones. They stunk of dirt, stale blood, and unwashed, cheap armor... definitely the stink of bandits...

He motioned to Duna who nodded and drew her bow as they crept closer. Farkas was pretty sure she'd be able to take them both out in one shot each as soon as she got line of sight on them, but he pulled his hammer from his back just in case. He crouched into the shadows beside her and did his best not to move...

He entirely wasn't expecting what happened next...

Duna pulled her bow back to take aim, but the top arm of her bow suddenly snapped where the wolf had bitten into it. Duna cried out in pain and shock as the string and the top of the bow snapped back across her arm and face and her arrow fell to the ground. Both of the bandits jumped up and came to investigate.

"Now ain't this a surprise," a bandit in rusty iron armor laughed as he and another man in light scaled armor found Duna crouched before them. Somehow, neither of them saw Farkas.

"A pretty little surprise," the one in scaled armor sneered. Farkas's wolf spirit growled at the way the bandit looked at her, and Farkas charged.

"You're making me angry," he yelled as his hammer connected with the sneering man's skull. Blood splattered across the ground as the man crumpled with half of his skull now concave. Before Farkas could turn back to the man in iron armor he was practically in Duna's face.

"YOL!" Duna shouted, throwing the man backwards in a gout of flames. The man's screams of pain were loud and disturbing, and Farkas hurried forward to bring his hammer down on to his skull as well, putting the man out of his misery. The corpse was still burning as Farkas pulled his hammer free.

"You ok?" He asked, looking back to Duna. She was standing up shakily, clutching her right arm, and Farkas could see a purple welt forming on her face.

"Y-yeah," she answered, still staring at the burning body. "Th-thanks... for that," she added nodding toward the burned dead man.

"No problem," Farkas nodded, trying to ignore the stench of charred flesh that was now assaulting his nose.

Duna shook her head and looked back at her broken long bow.

"Damn it," she grumbled, "I didn't realize it was that badly damaged... divines... that was stupid of me." She looked over to the dead man in scale armor, "Thanks for that too," she added gesturing at the bandit.

"Mmhmm," Farkas acknowledged with a gentle smile, but then another thought occurred to him. "We should keep moving," he added, scanning their surroundings. He knew bandits rarely travelled in such small groups, and the burning man's screams were probably heard for quite a distance.

"Yeah," Duna agreed, flexing her right arm uncomfortably. She pulled a red bottle from her satchel and took a small sip of the healing potion. Farkas watched as the angry welts on her arm and face faded. Then she picked up her arrow and tossed the broken bow to the side with a sigh. "Let's go," Duna nodded at last.

Farkas followed her up the side of the mound, to the large round opening. They both looked around the top rim cautiously, there was another dead bandit laying inside and an old looking chest beside a door with ancient Nordic designs. The bandit below smelled like he'd been dead for at least a day. The stairs down were on the opposite side of the opening from where they stood. To Farkas's mild alarm, when nothing moved after a few moments, instead of going for the stairs, Duna jumped. His momentary panic faded as soon as he realized she had landed uninjured. He sighed and hurried around to take the stairs. By the time he got down there, Duna had gotten the old chest open.

"Hello..." Duna said excitedly as she pulled a grey-green recurve bow from inside. "I might not have to rely entirely on my shouts after all!"

Farkas chuckled as she excitedly dug the bowstring out of the chest and strung the bow.  
"It... might be... a bit... heavier... draw weight... than my last bow," Duna groaned as she struggled to bend the bow far enough to string it.

"Looks orcish in make," Farkas commented, "should be good and strong."

"Definitely feels like it," Duna nodded, giving the string an experimental pull before slowly relaxing it. "Alright," she smiled as she situated her new bow on her back, "I feel a lot better now, let's go find that horn!"

"Lead on then," Farkas grinned and followed her through the entrance of the tomb.

As soon as he got through the door, Farkas was struck by the stench of a another day-old dead body that was lying just past the entryway. Duna looked over the dead Nordic man uncomfortably before continuing slowly down the stairs. She froze and crouched into the shadows a moment later and Farkas immediately smelled and heard why... there were a pair of mages of some kind several yards away on the other side of the room. Farkas didn't like the smell of them...

"These thralls of yours are slower than Argonians in a blizzard," Farkas heard a male voice complaining.

"Feel free to take a pick and help them out. I prefer not to suffer myself of manual labor," a female voice replied with disdain.

...Thralls, Farkas thought... they were necromancers... explained why he didn't like their smells...

"There goes another one," the male voice grumbled a moment later as Duna began creeping forward with her bow ready.

"Bah! Weak-willed rabble," the female necromancer exclaimed angrily. "Even in death they're almost useless."

"They seem less intelligent each time you raise them. Its impossible," the male continued complaining.

The woman sounded like she was about to say something else, but suddenly Duna's arrow lodged into the side of her head, right at the temple and the woman dropped instantly. The man made an angry, startled noise, but Duna's next arrow went through his eye and into the back of his skull before he ever saw her.

Farkas was impressed; she was doing well with the new bow, and the new bow definitely had more power behind it.

Duna looked back at him with a questioning expression. Farkas took a deep whiff, trying to pick up something besides the corpse back at the door... he smelled the two necromancers and their freshly spilled blood... Duna's sweet smell of sweat, adrenaline, and faint wildflowers... and the ashes of three longer dead corpses... but nothing else. He nodded to Duna and she stood up cautiously. Farkas stood as well but kept his hammer at the ready.

"I wonder what they were digging for," Duna said curiously stepping over to look at the two dead necromancers.

"Probably nothing good," Farkas shrugged, "I've never trusted the magic types... especially not necromancers." He hadn't told her exactly why he hated necromancers so much, and he was a little glad she didn't ask now. She just nodded before continuing carefully through the next corridor.

The tomb was one of the most elaborate Farkas had ever seen. There were multiple rooms on multiple levels, even what appeared to be a great feasting room in the deep underground cavern. There were ancient braziers, enchanted to keep burning for centuries, that lit their way through every passageway and room. And of course there were also draugr... lots of draugr... Duna took most of them down with her bow, and then picked up several ancient Nordic arrows to continue shooting with. Farkas actually only had to help her at a couple of turns where several draugr popped out of their sarcophagi at once, but even then he was pretty sure she could have handled it with a shout if she'd needed to.

Then they came to a chamber with three odd stones positioned in front of a series of gates. The stones had a series of swirled designs Farkas had never seen before. He followed Duna as she slowly approached. Duna carefully scanned their surroundings before stepping closer, Farkas looked around as well... he didn't smell any draugr... he was expecting to see a dart or spike trap hidden in the walls, but there was nothing.

Duna slowly walked up to the first stone and then jumped back with a start when it lit up with a deep, ominous sounding chime. It went back out as soon as she jumped away from it. Farkas stepped curiously forward but nothing happened. Duna slowly stepped back to the stone and it lit up again, and as she stayed beside it the first gate opened. She cocked her head thoughtfully and slowly stepped toward the second stone... it lit up with the same sound as she reached it, and then the second gate opened.

"Oh, this is a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be," Duna smiled as she walked toward the third stone. The stone lit up, the third and final gate opened, but the first gate slammed shut. "And... I spoke too soon," she grumbled.

"Hmm..." Farkas walked past the stones as well, but they didn't light up for him, and the gates stayed in place. Duna walked back to the first stone; the third gate dropped and the first opened again.

"The stones only respond to a dragonborn... and the gates drop too quickly to just run through..." Duna observed looking from the gates and then back to Farkas. She looked like she'd just realized something she wasn't happy about... then Farkas realized it too...

If the gates wouldn't open for him, and he couldn't shout himself forward like a dragonborn could, how was he going to go with her?

"Arngeir did say only a dragonborn could reach the final chamber..." Duna said quietly looking back to the gates, and Farkas could hear her pulse speeding up. She sounded scared again. "I guess this is where we..." she trailed off looking like she didn't want to finish that sentence, and Farkas's heart caught in his throat. He was pretty sure she was about to say 'part ways'... he didn't want to hear those words.

"You go on ahead," he said gently, "I'll stand guard." She'd been doing pretty well with the draugr, he was sure she could handle the last chamber on her own... she wasn't just a scared little rabbit anymore... definitely still a little rabbit... but not _just_ a little rabbit. "You're the Dragonborn, you've got this."

"You... you think so?" She looked up at him with big, surprised looking eyes. He was sure she'd be fine, and he was happy to encourage her, but part of him didn't want to let her go... he was tempted tell her not to go... to find some way to break the gates and just follow her...

"Yeah," he nodded, "and I'll be here."

"A-alright," Duna said nervously looking back at the gates. Her pulse was racing but she gave a determined nod, "I'll be back."

"If you get in trouble," Farkas added, "yell real loud. I'll smash a wall if I have to."

At that she looked back at him with an appreciative smile, her pulse gave a few extra quick beats and she looked from the gates and back to him a couple of times before she took a quick step toward him. She quickly put a gentle hand on his arm, then hopped up on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. Then, before Farkas could really even register what had just happened, she ran back through the stones and,

"WULD," she shouted herself through all three gates in the blink of an eye.

Farkas stared after her in shock, brining his hand slowly to the side of his face where her soft lips had been just a moment before... she glanced back briefly and even through the three gates he could see the pink blush across her cheeks before she ran off down the next corridor.


	13. Shield-Sister

Farkas stood and stared after her with his hand to his cheek for several minutes. His wolf spirit was stunned to silence as well. After a few minutes part of him began wondering if he'd just imagined that, but the other part of him knew there was no way he could have imagined how soft her lips had been... or how her sweat mixed with her faint wildflower scent almost smelled more like honey when she leaned in that close to him... he couldn't decide if it was good or bad that she'd run off immediately after kissing him... if she'd still been standing in front of him Farkas wasn't sure what his reaction would have been... it definitely might have been to wrap an arm around her tiny waist and kiss her back on the lips... and from there, most likely, either his wolf spirit would have gotten carried away, or Duna would have shouted him into Oblivion.

It occurred to Farkas that that kiss might not have meant what he wanted it to... it was just a kiss on the cheek... what if imperials in Cyrodiil just did that... just kissed their friends on the cheek to say goodbye or something...

What if she was planning to use this as her chance to sneak away from him and run... what if that kiss was just to make him believe she'd be coming back?

Farkas shook his head and took a deep breath as he gathered his wits. This was why he hated over thinking things. He needed to pay attention to his surroundings. Duna was still trusting him, he needed to trust her. She said she'd be back, and he was sure she could handle any trouble she'd meet further down... the Greybeards had sent her here so surely they believed she could do it too... Farkas decided he was just going to believe her... she would come back.

He started pacing but then realized the sound of his feet made it harder to hear other things, so he stopped, standing in the middle of the stones, and waited. He closed his eyes so he could focus on the smells and sounds... so he'd hear Duna if she yelled for him... he was pretty sure his beast form could break those gates if he needed to...

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but then there was a deep rumbling that rattled up the whole tomb and made Farkas's hair stand on end... he strained to listen for Duna. The rumbling lasted several moments, but then, as suddenly as it had started, all was still again.

Farkas wasn't sure if minutes passed or hours... he stayed on edge listening to the silence... he heard faint sounds of grinding stones deep in the tomb on a couple of occasions, but nothing else.

Then finally,

"FARKAS!!!"

Farkas's heart leapt at the sound of Duna's call echoing down the tomb... coming from... above?

"FARKAS!" Her voice was definitely coming from above. He almost called back to her but he knew she wouldn't hear. He could only hear her because he was a werewolf with such good ears. He tried to pick up her scent, but it was just faintly everywhere, and the stale air was confusing his nose now.

"Farkas, go back the way we came! I'm back up top!"

She didn't sound at all distressed, but Farkas still turned with a start and began jogging back through the winding passageways that had led them down there.

The draugr were all still dead and Duna kept calling his name, so it was easy to find his way back, it just took longer than he wanted. The fact that she was calling for him made his heart swell with excitement. As he got closer he could smell her more clearly... she smelled uninjured, but the adrenaline was still running hot through her veins... she smelled... angry?

He met her just before she reached the large feasting chamber, and realized she'd been on her way back for him...

"Oh good," she breathed a sigh of relief, "I was starting to think you couldn't hear me."

"Nah, just a lot of halls to run back through," he shook his head with a smile.To Farkas's relief she didn't seem angry at him, but her pulse and adrenaline levels definitely sounded and smelled angry. "What happened?" Farkas asked cautiously.

Duna let out a frustrated sigh, "I didn't get the horn." Farkas cocked his head at her in confusion and waited for her to continue. "Someone beat me to it," she said angrily. "There was a fucking back access route, and someone got there before I did, took the horn, and left this damn note!" She held a scrap of parchment out to him and Farkas took it in bewilderment.

_Dragonborn --_

_I need to speak to you. Urgently._

_Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I'll meet you._

_\-- A friend_

Farkas looked back to Duna in confusion. He'd been to Riverwood several times...

"That inn doesn't have an attic room," he said bluntly.

"I thought as much," Duna grumbled, "which probably means it's a fucking trap."

"If it is, they'll regret it," Farkas growled angrily at that thought.

"My thoughts exactly," Duna agreed. Farkas could smell the anger radiating off of her and he was beginning to get angry himself... all this time there had been rear entrance... they could have saved so much time... he could have gone with her...

He wondered why he hadn't smelled the disturbance when they first got into the tomb, he should have been able to smell if someone had snuck in and found a shortcut... then he remembered the day-old dead body... he was lucky he smelled anything besides the stink of dead bandit, and any hints of fresher air he would have just attributed to the necromancers digging.

But what really made him angry was that they'd come all this way, Duna had fought through an entire crypt full of draugr, for a scrap of paper. He didn't understand the significance of the horn exactly, but the Greybeards had sent her to find it. It was the Greybeards' quest to give, which made it Duna's right to retrieve. Some so-called, unnamed 'friend' had stolen that from her and Farkas wasn't going to stand for that. He was going to find this thief... he was going to make them apologize to Duna... make them give her the horn she'd gone through all that trouble to retrieve... and then he was going to rip their throat out with his teeth and...

No... Farkas shook his head, silencing the wolf spirit's thoughts, and took a deep breath to calm the anger that was beginning to rage up in his chest. He was going to help Duna retrieve the horn from whoever stole it. He would only get violent if the thief posed a threat to Duna.

"So what're we doing when we get out of here?" He asked, his voice still a little gruff with anger.

"Hike down to Riverwood and try to rent the attic room," Duna said darkly, "make whoever shows up regret their life choices..."

"Works for me," Farkas nodded as he continued to follow her out of the tomb.

Duna's anger had cooled significantly by the time they got back to the entry room, but it was definitely still there. It was the first time Farkas had seen her get angry at something she couldn't solve relatively quickly... the first time he'd seen her rage cool to a calm, rational anger. It was honestly a little scary... she reminded him a little of his brother when he got angry... ready to lash out and destroy the object of her fury, but she was carefully calculating how to do it...

Farkas smiled a little in spite of himself, he'd been dealing with Vilkas's temper their whole lives, he wouldn't mind one bit of Duna's usually sweet personality was occasionally peppered with a similar fiery temper. They weren't the same by a long shot, but similar enough that Farkas thought he had a decent guess as to how he should react when she got angry...

The fresh air once they got out of the door was a very welcome scent. Even with the dead bandit laying beside the chest, it was better than the stuffy air of the tomb. It was a clear, cool night, and judging by the moons it was somewhere close to midnight.

Duna took a deep breath and seemed to feel better as well.

"Let's get away from these dead bodies and make camp," she said with a tired sigh. Farkas could smell her adrenaline was fading and the late hour seemed to be getting to her now.

"Yeah," Farkas agreed.

They walked up the ancient steps, and Farkas almost suggested they just use the camp the bandits had already made beside the tomb, but everything there had the awful unwashed smell of bandits, and he'd prefer to get away from that.

Duna walked instead out towards the lake, several yards away and Farkas followed. She looked like she was about to say something, but stopped and Farkas heard her pulse speeding up for a few beats. She turned back to him with a forced nonchalant smile.

"Here look good to you?"

Farkas looked around... it was a flat space without rocks, there was a lake nearby and forest too... not a lot in the way of shelter, but it was a clear night and Farkas couldn't smell any rain on the wind. It actually looked like a great campsite.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded. "Could even wash up," he added pointing at the lake.

"Uh... I... I thought about that, but it's probably too cold," Duna shook her head. She sounded nervous again. Farkas wondered if she didn't know how to swim... she quickly busied herself building the fire, and Farkas decided not to press the issue. They had much more pressing things to worry about anyway.

Once Duna got the fire going she sat down on her bedroll and pulled her map back out. Farkas just watched her curiously as she examined it thoughtfully for a few minutes while she chewed on a piece of dried meat.

"Alright," she sighed and looked up at him seriously. "If I go back and officially join the Companions... no one's going to expect me to become a werewolf...?"

"No," Farkas answered simply, trying to hide his excitement at her question.

"And you're all in control... no one's going to attack me...?"

"No one's going to attack you," Farkas assured her confidently.

"And... after I officially join and all that, then we can go deal with this... horn thief, right?"

"Yeah, we'll have a feast at Jorrvaskr, then we can leave for Riverwood as soon as you're ready," he nodded hopefully.

"Ok," Duna said with another sigh. "Let's do that. Let's bring this fragment back to Jorrvaskr, restock our supplies, and then go rough up a thief in Riverwood."

"Sounds good," Farkas replied, and he couldn't help but grin, she was going to be his shield-sister... he hadn't blown it... and she'd said 'we' when she mentioned going to deal with the thief...

"And, if we get moving early enough we should be back to Jorrvaskr in only two and a half days," she said, giving him a small smile as she rolled her map back up and put it away. Farkas just nodded.

Then Duna pulled out her journal to scribble something quickly before she loosened her armor and settled into her bedroll.

"Goodnight," she said quietly.

"Goodnight," Farkas said in a low tone. He was a little disappointed he never got the chance to bring up her kiss earlier. With how angry she'd been after finding the note he still didn't feel like it was the time to do so, and he wasn't sure how to bring it up in the first place.

But... he had still gotten a kiss earlier... Farkas smiled as he lay back in his own bedroll. Duna also hadn't put her bedroll so far away from his this time... still more than an arm's length away, but not clear on the opposite side of the fire where it was harder to smell her.

His beast blood kept him restless as usual, but he slept better that night than he had in a long time.

They got up with the sunrise again, and Duna looked tired and lost in thought as they packed up camp.

"Sure you don't need more sleep?" Farkas asked in concern as she yawned for the fourth time.

"Not on this hard ground," she grumbled.

"Ah," Farkas nodded understandingly. She almost never complained, so Farkas had almost forgotten that prior to a month ago she'd probably never been without a comfortable bed in her life.

She still didn't complain as they set off down the road, but after a few moments she looked up at Farkas with her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"Now that we're heading back," she began, "I remembered something that's been bothering me..."

"Hmm?" Farkas prompted attentively.

"Those weren't normal bandits who ambushed us in the Cairn..." she said matter of factly.

"Ah..." Farkas had been so worried about Duna running off, he'd almost forgotten about those damned werewolf hunters. "No," he shook his head with a sigh.

"Who were they?"

"Silver Hand," Farkas answered in almost a growl. "Bad people who don't like werewolves. So they don't like us either," he explained.

"They knew we would be there... they knew who you were," Duna pointed out worriedly.

"Yeah," Farkas growled thoughtfully.

"Was my trial a set up?" Duna looked at him with eyebrows raised in concern.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Farkas shook his head, quickly becoming concerned about what she'd just pointed out... he hadn't thought about it before now... how had the Silver Hand known they were coming?

"Circle's gonna have to look into Skjor's sources," Farkas decided. "We'll tell Kodlak about it when we get back," he added. Duna just nodded nervously as they continued down the road.

The rest of the walk back to Jorrvaskr was uneventful after that. They camped two more nights and made comfortable small talk both evenings. Farkas told her the gist of what she could expect being initiated into the Companions, and she told him about the things she'd found in the depths of Ustengrav while they ate dinner. He still never figured out how to bring up the kiss.

They arrived back at Jorrvaskr in the evening after their third day of travel. Duna seemed pretty comfortable with him again, but Farkas did notice her pulse become nervous as she laid eyes on the rest of the Circle.

"Relax," he told her gently as Skjor approached them expectantly. Duna handed the blade piece to Skjor who looked it over with an impressed nod before motioning to them to follow him to the yard.

"Brothers and sisters of the Circle," Kodlak began, addressing the members gathered in the yard, "today we welcome a new soul into our mortal fold. This woman has endured, has challenged, and has shown her valor." He motioned Duna into the center of the circle. "Who will speak for her?" Kodlak asked. Farkas gave Duna a gentle smile and stepped forward.

"I stand witness to the courage of the soul before us," he answered.

"Would you raise your shield in her defense?" Kodlak asked in a formal tone.

"I would stand at her back, that the world might never overtake us," Farkas said confidently making sure to look directly at Duna. She met his gaze and Farkas definitely detected a slight blush across her cheeks and he couldn't help but grin.

Kodlak continued, and Farkas delivered all of his lines with pride. It was the first time for Farkas that one of these ceremonies felt like more than just reciting something that was supposed to be said. He meant every word.


	14. The Companions

As the ceremony concluded most of the Circle members turned to go inside, but Kodlak hung back, asking Duna to have a word with him. Farkas started to hang back as well, but Kodlak gave him a stern but gentle look that told him to keep going. He followed his brother instead, but before they opened the back doors, Vilkas paused and looked back at him.

"It's faint, but I can still smell the transformation on you," he said quietly, "I'm assuming Duna saw?"

Farkas sighed. He wasn't surprised, he could always smell when Aela and Skjor had gone off to hunt in their beast forms... among other things they did.

"Yeah," Farkas answered just as quietly. He glanced back to the yard at Kodlak and Duna, and Vilkas did too. She looked nervous again, but Kodlak didn't look too upset.

"I'm also assuming you had a good reason..." Vilkas added with a resigned sounding sigh.

"I did," Farkas grumbled. Vilkas nodded and met his gaze before continuing inside. There were some things the brothers could communicate best without words; despite Vilkas's frequent comments about brains not being Farkas's strong suit, Farkas knew Vilkas trusted his judgement... on at least some matters. He also knew that that wasn't the end of the conversation, but there was a time and place for such discussions. Farkas expected Vilkas would be paying him a visit once the celebrations died down that evening.

The brothers continued inside, and Duna and Kodlak followed them a few minutes later. To Farkas's relief and satisfaction, she didn't hesitate to join him when he motioned her to the chair beside him. She gave him a small smile when she sat down.

"Here's the woman of the hour," Skjor declared enthusiastically raising his mug of ale.

"Did you really kill a dragon?" Ria asked excitedly.

"I mean... I had help both times, but..."

"Both!?" Ria squealed interrupting Duna's modest reply, "you killed _two_ dragons?"

"Not by myself," Duna shook her head.

"Well I heard about the first one," Aela laughed, "I heard you jumped on its face and ran it through with your sword!"

Duna sighed and glanced over at Farkas with a suspicious look. Farkas just grinned back at her before pretending to be very interested in his mug of ale...

"I did," Duna nodded finally.

"This is your party, Dragonborn. Stop being so modest," Vilkas grinned, grabbing his own mug of ale. She blushed a little at that, and didn't look pleased to have all eyes on her. Farkas laughed and put his ale down.

"If you don't tell it they're gonna get my version of the story," he warned with a playful grin.

"Be my guest," she replied evenly, "I'll chime in if you get it wrong." She gave him a challenging smirk that made Farkas's wolf spirit stir excitedly, and his blood began pounding in his ears. Vilkas chuckled from the seat on the other side of him and Farkas quickly began trying to control his thoughts again...

"Alright then," he shrugged, then turning to the rest of the mead hall, "it all started when Aela asked me to go help her with a giant..."

Farkas told them the story of the events that had gotten Duna to this point. As he spoke he realized it might have been best that he'd ended up telling it; having shared many stories in this mead hall over the years, he knew how to tell his story around the secrets and related details that needed to be left out... any time something didn’t add up, he could simply pretend to be an idiot who’d forgotten the details, so no one ever questioned him. He wondered if that had been part of Duna's concern...

He told them how Duna had escaped Helgen and immediately tried to help them with a giant on her way into Whiterun, which forced Duna to chime in with details a few times. Then he told them of their trip to Bleakfalls Barrow and how the Jarl assumed they could handle a dragon after that. He left out all mentions of where she'd come from, and how she'd gotten to Helgen.

Duna filled in some details about seeing the dragon send Farkas flying through a burning building and how surprised she was that he'd survived. That earned them several laughs from around the room, and Duna started to look a little more like she was enjoying herself. Then Farkas animatedly jumped back in, telling them all how he'd come back to see her kill the dragon.

As the evening went on, Farkas lost count of the drinks he'd had, but he noticed Duna stayed relatively reserved. While most of the Companions celebrated and drank excessively, Duna slowly drank a single pint of mead. After the first story, Farkas had gone on to tell them about the troll they'd killed on the trip to High Hrothgar, and of the nearly twenty draugr that had been guarding the blade piece they retrieved. Then, at the request of nearly everyone, he told them of the other dragon the two of them had taken down by themselves. He decided to leave out the events from Ustengrav, since he felt like they still needed to complete that mission, and Duna didn't seem to mind.

Torvar asked Duna to shout for them, but she politely refused. Farkas was pretty sure a mead hall with a full feasting table was a terrible place for her to demonstrate her sprint or her force or fire shouts anyway. Fortunately, no one argued.

Then Vilkas piped in with a story from Ria's trial which prompted Skjor to bring up a story of the twins when they were whelps. Farkas probably would have been embarrassed if he hadn't had so many drinks.

Finally, it was late in the night, Torvar passed out in his chair and Athis helped Ria drag him off to bed. Njada took that as her cue to turn in, and Aela and Skjor followed suit.

"I guess I should go to bed too," Duna sighed. Farkas was a little surprised she sounded disappointed. He watched her curiously as she finished off the last of her mead. "That was fun," she added with a smile.

"That's the Companions for you," Farkas grinned. She smiled a little more at that, and Farkas just admired her beautiful smile. His drunk wolf spirit began to get a few appealing ideas as he looked at her... she was beautiful...

"Alright, don't do anything stupid," Vilkas chuckled. He gently smacked Farkas's arm as he got up. Farkas only half stifled the growl that rose in his throat as he turned to see Vilkas wink at Duna before turning to go down stairs. Farkas heard Duna's pulse pick up nervously yet again, but Vilkas looked back at him with a serious expression and Farkas remembered he still needed to tell his brother what had happened in Dustman's Cairn. He just gave Vilkas an irritated nod.

Then Farkas looked back to Duna to find she was blushing bright red.

"Sorry," he said in a grumbled sigh, "my brother likes to tease me too."

That seemed to just make Duna's heart race more.

"So I see," Duna said a moment later, clearly trying to regain her composure.

It suddenly occurred to Farkas that he probably hadn't done a very good job of keeping his thoughts from his expression before Vilkas had smacked him a moment ago... so he suspected Duna knew exactly where his mind had been, and the fact that she was starting to smell terrified of him again crushed his hopes a bit.

"I'll see you in the morning," she said quietly as she got up from the table.

"Goodnight," Farkas nodded, trying not to feel like he was being rejected. He hadn't actually asked or suggested anything after all...

"Goodnight," she replied before darting off like a scared little rabbit. Farkas sighed in frustration... he was starting to feel like she was giving him mixed signals.

"Did you have to do that?" Farkas asked quietly, rounding on Vilkas as he walked into his bedroom. Vilkas just chuckled as Farkas shut the door behind him. Farkas wasn't the least but surprised to find his brother waiting for him at the bar in his room.

"So what happened?" Vilkas asked, helping himself to one of the bottles of mead Farkas had stashed at his own private bar, as if he hadn't had enough to drink already.

"Nothing happened," Farkas grumbled, "she just ran off to bed, scared of me again."

"I meant on her trial," Vilkas said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh." Farkas felt his cheeks flush a little.

"Aside from you falling for her," Vilkas added with another chuckle. Farkas sighed and tried to think back over the events of Duna's trial... tried to think where to begin...

"Not going to deny that, huh?" Vilkas asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"No... not sure it matters though," Farkas shrugged sadly, "I thought she liked me, but... now that she knows what I am, I'm not so sure."

"She looked to be enjoying your company just fine this evening," Vilkas pointed out.

"Not like she was before..." Farkas replied, thinking back to how, with the one exception, she'd been keeping more distance between them since the incident, "she didn't even want to come back to Jorrvaskr with me at first..." Farkas shook his head, his anger at the Silver Hand rising fresh is his chest. "It was the Silver Hand. They knew we'd be there," he explained angrily, "it was a trap."

All hints of teasing left Vilkas's demeanor at that. He just listened seriously as Farkas told him about the Silver Hand ambush and about his decision to unleash his wolf. Vilkas let out an angry growl and was silent for a moment.

"I probably would have done the same," he said darkly. "You're sure none escaped?"

"None I could hear or smell," Farkas shook his head.

"And you were able to control it?"

"Mostly," Farkas nodded. "Turned back as soon as they were all dead."

"And Duna?" Vilkas asked.

"I thought she was gonna shoot me," Farkas sighed sadly. Vilkas furrowed his brow and continued to sip his mead while Farkas explained how Duna had reacted... the questions she'd asked and how she'd responded to his answers... of how she'd watched him play the lute in fascination, and kissed his cheek, but still kept her distance as they walked and set up camp... of how she'd worried about letting him sleep, but still smelled and sounded terrified of him at times.

Vilkas just listened attentively and then sat for another few moments, considering what Farkas had told him.

"She sounds conflicted," Vilkas said with a shrug, "she wants to trust you, but she's been taught to fear the beast. All you can do now is keep helping her. Give her time to see she can trust you. I wouldn't give up on her yet."

Farkas raised his eyebrows at Vilkas in surprise. He hadn't expected Vilkas to approve of how he felt about Duna... he'd been expecting a lecture on how Companions weren't encouraged to have romantic involvements... "I thought I was the foolish optimist here..."

"Exactly, even the grumpy pessimist can see you've still got hope," Vilkas laughed. "But besides that," he added, his expression darkening again, "saving the world from Alduin the World Eater is not the kind of mission we can turn our backs on."

"That's true..." Farkas nodded. He suddenly felt foolish after all; Duna had a critically important destiny to save the world, he had promised to help her, and here he was, more worried about whether or not she'd be his mate. This was why Kodlak and previous Harbingers had discouraged romantic involvements; they were distracting...

"Thanks brother," Farkas added genuinely.

"And she might need more help than she realizes," Vilkas added giving Farkas a more concerned look now.

"Wha'd'ya mean?" Farkas asked, immediately mirroring his brother's concern.

"While you were gone, some men from Cyrodiil came to us," Vilkas began, his expression darkening. "How much do you know about Duna's past?"

Farkas had always trusted his brother, and always would, but that question still made him nervous.

"I know who she is," Farkas replied bluntly. "We didn't agree to turn her in or anything did we?"

"No," Vilkas shook his head and Farkas sighed in relief. "They wanted to hire us to find her, but I recognized her picture and pieced together what was going on. I couldn't turn down the job without raising suspicions, but I told them we'd only accept payment if we were able to find and return her safely."

"How many know?" Farkas asked worriedly.

"Just the Circle," Vilkas answered. "We all agree, we won't sell out one of our own."

Farkas sighed in relief. It was exactly the response he'd expected from his family, but it was still a relief to hear he'd been right.

"We ran into some imperials looking for her too," Farkas explained, "she put on a good act of being from a different fighters' guild and they believed it."

"It's a wonder they didn't recognize her," Vilkas shook his head, "does she have a mask?"

"No..." Farkas shook his head, "think they're still looking for a helpless noble girl, not a warrior."

"That would make sense," Vilkas nodded, "though if anyone connects Dragonborn and the Septim house, that might turn into a giveaway instead of a disguise."

"Hmm..." Farkas hadn't thought of that...

"She should consider getting a mask or a hood," Vilkas suggested, "or something that at least hides her hair and her eyes."

"I'll tell her," Farkas nodded, "I'm not letting anyone take her back to marry that elf."

Vilkas raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled, "going to marry her yourself first?"

"I... uh..." Farkas stuttered. That had been the idea... the hope... but he wasn't quite comfortable admitting that with her still so uncertain about him. He never wanted to force or pressure her into that... and he definitely wouldn't suggest it as just a way to keep her from being forced into a different marriage, that would just make him the lesser of two evils...

Vilkas chuckled again, interrupting Farkas's train of thought.

"I can see it on your face, brother, it's too soon to know."

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "maybe, but I don't know yet."

"Just make sure saving the world is the first priority," Vilkas added with a stern smirk. Farkas nodded.

"Get some rest," Vilkas added and then downed the rest of his drink. "I'm sure Kodlak will want to speak with you in the morning."

"Yeah," Farkas nodded again as Vilkas stood to leave. "Thanks again brother."

The next morning Farkas met with Kodlak and the rest of the Circle to explain what had happened with the Silver Hand. No one had a whole lot to say right off, Kodlak thanked Farkas and told him to go check on Duna. Vilkas left with him, and Aela wasn't long behind them, but Farkas noticed Skjor stayed behind. From his room he picked up pieces of Skjor and Kodlak's heated argument through the wall... or at least Skjor was heated... Kodlak was calm but firm as always. He couldn't hear what they were saying clearly through the stone, but he had his suspicions...


	15. A Rabbit Among Wolves

Farkas went to find Duna and was relieved to find she had slept in and was still in her bed in the whelp room. He thought about how relieved she must be to be sleeping in a bed again, and decided not to disturb her.

When she did finally get up, the first thing she wanted was a bath. After that Farkas reminded her to go to Eorland to get her new skyforge steel sword. Then he watched as she practiced with it in the yard for a bit.

Athis came out and gave her a few pointers, and Farkas just watched as they had a casual sparring match, wondering when would be a good time to talk to her about what his brother had told him. Then Skjor came out to watch her as well and Farkas noticed she was almost immediately uncomfortable with that. She conceded the match only a few minutes later and excused herself to the market saying she needed to sell some things and buy more potions.

Farkas followed her hastily and caught her right before the steps of Jorrvaskr. She had taken her helmet off and was ready to casually walk through the streets of Whiterun...

"May want to at least keep your helmet on," he advised in a low voice.

"Why?" Duna asked, looking back at him in alarm.

"Didn't want to mention it in front of the others, but Vilkas told me we've been hired to find a noble woman who got kidnapped," Farkas explained. Duna's eyes went wide in fear as she clearly caught his meaning. "Before you panic," Farkas added gently, "Vilkas figured out they meant you, so he didn't take their money. Kodlak agreed, we won't sell you out, but we want to be careful someone else doesn't recognize you, no telling who else they showed your picture to."

"I see," she sighed, visibly relaxing as she stepped back to the wall to dig through her enchanted gear pack. She pulled her leather helmet out and looked at it thoughtfully before putting it back on. It hid her hair, but her eyes were still fairly noticeable, and Farkas realized Vilkas was right, it was a wonder the imperials hadn't recognized her. "I guess that explains what Kodlak meant last night when he told me not to worry because 'we look after our own here'... that's a bit of a relief actually," she smiled. "They weren't mad were they?"

"Nah," Farkas shook his head, "you never lied to us, and Vilkas understood why you told them what you did. They're more worried about making sure you stay disguised."

"Ok," Duna nodded, "thank you."

"You want some extra muscle while you shop?" Farkas offered, "just in case?"

"Well I thought I could handle shopping on my own," she chuckled, "but if you're not busy I definitely won't mind some extra security."

"Alright then," Farkas smiled.

The shopping trip was pretty uneventful. Farkas didn't like the sleazy Breton that ran the general goods store, but he gave Duna good prices so Farkas couldn't complain.

When they got back Duna went up to the forge to talk to Eorland and sharpen her new sword while Farkas finally took his opportunity to go to the washroom himself.

Duna was up at the skyforge till Farkas called her down for dinner. He suspected she was still avoiding the rest of the Circle members.

Then at dinner Farkas noticed Skjor sit down next to Duna and whisper something to her, which Farkas thought was suspicious... but Duna didn't seem any more nervous than she had been with Skjor all day, and Farkas hadn't thought much more of it...

So Farkas was surprised when he was woken in the middle of the night by a knock on his door. He could smell Duna on the other side... her pulse was nervous...

"Come in," he said in a low tone, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. His door opened and Duna darted inside and shut the door gently behind her. "What's wrong?" He asked, trying to see her face in the dark.

"Did... did you still want to go to Riverwood with me?" Duna whispered.

"I... yeah. What-"

"How soon can you be ready to leave?" Duna asked urgently. Farkas blinked at her as he woke up more fully. He could smell she'd been in the underforge... and she wasn't just nervous, she was trembling... he had a few guesses what that could mean...

"As soon as you need me to," he replied gently.

"Now?" She whispered hopefully.

"Let me get my armor on," Farkas nodded as he climbed out of bed. In spite of himself, he smiled a little when he noticed Duna's gaze linger on his bare chest as he got up and reached for his gear.

"What happened?" He asked as he pulled an undershirt on.

"Sk-Skjor and Aela..." she trailed off nervously looking at the door behind her. "I just have to go. Now."

"Alright." Farkas hoisted his armor over his head and began adjusting all the straps and buckles that held his steel plates in place. He hoped she'd tell him more when they got out of Whiterun... she sounded like she was calming down since he'd agreed to go with her immediately...

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound and smell of his brother coming urgently toward his door. There was a quick knock and Vilkas opened the door without waiting for a reply. Duna jumped with a start and quickly crouched a little closer to Farkas.

"Brother, come quick, Skjor and Aela have- oh." He had started speaking before he even got the door open and stopped suddenly when he saw Duna. "So you didn't take their offer," Vilkas said sounding relieved. Duna shook her head and Farkas heard her heartbeat speeding back up nervously. His brother's words combined with the fact that he could smell that she'd been in the underforge confirmed Farkas's suspicions of what must have happened... How dare Skjor... after Kodlak has specifically told them no to...

"When I smelled Aela turn, and then found the underforge empty, I feared I was too late," Vilkas explained.

"I told them I have to do my duty as Dragonborn first, and I ran," Duna answered quietly. "I'm sorry, but I... I can't..."

"We don't want you to," Farkas interrupted in a low growl as he strapped his hammer to his back. He hoped she'd been about to say she couldn't become a werewolf, and not that she couldn't stay...

"No," Vilkas agreed, clearly making the same assumption, "the beast blood is a curse. Kodlak, my brother, and I are looking to be cleansed of it. We would not have that put on you as well."

Duna looked up at Farkas and he gave a nod of agreement with his brother. Duna let out a sigh and Farkas heard her nervous pulse finally relaxing. He turned to collect his gear pack and strapped it to his belt.

Then looking back to Vilkas he said, "we were about to leave to finish the mission the Greybeards gave her."

"Right now?" Vilkas asked, looking at Farkas in disbelief.

"She wants to go now," Farkas shrugged.

"Brother, it's the middle of the night," Vilkas protested, "and Skjor and Aela have just gone on a hunt!"

Farkas narrowed his eyes at his brother in confusion, surely Vilkas wasn't implying what it sounded like...

"You don't really think they'd give us trouble?" He asked.

"I didn't think they'd go behind Kodlak's back and try to spread our curse," Vilkas replied angrily, "I don't know what they'll do."

"All the more reason," Farkas replied in exasperation, "if she wants to go now, I'm going with her."

Vilkas put his hand to his forehead with a sigh before turning to Duna, "Dragonborn," he said gently, "have you gotten any sleep?"

Farkas had heard Duna's pulse pick back up as soon as Vilkas protested, and now she smelled simply terrified again. She just shook her heard with a look of wide-eyed terror. Farkas realized Vilkas had a point, she looked exhausted... certainly in no state to go spring a potential trap with the horn thief...

"I think it would be best if you get some sleep," Vilkas advised, "leave in the morning."

"I... I... I c-can't sleep in the..."

"No, I understand. Don't go back to the common room," Vilkas agreed as he gave Farkas a meaningful look.

"You can stay in here," Farkas offered, catching Vilkas's meaning. "I'll stand guard. You'll be safe here."

Duna looked nervously from Vilkas to Farkas, and then to Farkas's bed and back.

"Or, if you don't care for my brother's smell, my bed is an option as well," Vilkas offered with a teasing smirk. Farkas glared at him.

"That... that's not it," Duna shook her head. "What... what about you...?" She asked, looking to Farkas, still wide-eyed, but less terrified looking... more worried now.

"I'm fine," Farkas told her with a reassuring smile, "I got a few hours. I'm up now, I was ready to go, till I realized you need some rest first."

"We don't need as much sleep as you do," Vilkas reminded her gently.

"This way we can talk to Kodlak and leave when you're actually rested enough to deal with that thief," Farkas suggested.

"And you won't run into Skjor and Aela on the road in the morning," Vilkas added, "trust me Dragonborn, I can't think of a safer place than a stone room guarded by my brother."

Finally Duna sighed and seemed to relax and Farkas was relieved his brother had managed to be the voice of reason.

"Alright," she whispered, "thank you."

"No problem," Farkas smiled as Vilkas stepped back out the door. Farkas stepped to the door as well but turned back to see Duna settle into his bed, armor and all. He sorely wanted to take his armor back off and get into his bed with her, but now was not the time, he reminded himself, she needed rest. "Get some sleep, little rabbit," he said quietly before stepping out and shutting his door behind him. 

Vilkas sat down in the small hallway between their bedrooms and just looked up at Farkas in mild disbelief.

"What?" Farkas grunted, sitting down beside him on the bench.

"By Ysmir, brother," Vilkas said quietly, shaking his head, "you were about to run off in the middle of the night with this woman without a second thought, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Farkas admitted bluntly.

"You're smitten," Vilkas chuckled.

"I know," Farkas grumbled, "she's still scared though."

"Maybe, but she does at least trust you," Vilkas added, and then a little more seriously he continued, "and we're lucky she trusts you, otherwise I think Skjor and Aela might have just run her off... and possibly doomed the world..."

"Nah, I'm sure Duna would figure out what to do without me," Farkas shook his head, "she's smart."

"She might," Vilkas nodded, "but if I was worried about her smarts, brother, I'd be going with you too," he retorted and Farkas resisted the urge to roll his eyes at him. "No, what worries me is that she hadn't seen any combat whatsoever until she escaped her father's house, and she came to us for help," Vilkas sighed angrily. "It should be the Companions' honor to help the Dragonborn defeat the dragons... not to send her running off in the middle of the night for fear of becoming one of us."

"Yeah," Farkas grumbled, "but I'm surprised she still trusts me. She came back to Jorrvaskr in the first place 'cause when she asked I told her that wouldn't happen... I'd be surprised if she wants to come back at all after we finish her training with the Greybeards."

Vilkas sighed again in frustration, "probably not..." he agreed. "Damn those two!" He slammed his fist on the table. "What in Oblivion were they thinking?!"

"They weren't," Farkas grumbled angrily, "they only think of themselves and the hunt."

"You're right," Vilkas grumbled as well. "Damn Hircine..."

Farkas gave frustrated grunt of agreement and they sat in silence for several moments. He calmed down as he focused in on the sound of Duna's breathing behind his door... it sounded like she had actually fallen asleep... she really must have been exhausted.

"Well, even if she's too scared to come back here, at least you can go with her," Vilkas sighed several moments later.

Farkas raised an eyebrow at him in surprise, he'd been afraid he'd have to choose between following Duna or coming back to the Companions, he hadn't been expecting his brother to be ok with that idea...

"Make sure you write and tell me of your adventures," Vilkas added, looking up at Farkas with a smile now, "it might get boring around here without you sneaking around pulling your pranks."

Farkas laughed quietly at that. "You might just have to pull a few for me so they don't figure out it was me."

"I never could sneak like you can, but I'll try," Vilkas replied with a laugh.

"Remember that time I talked you into helping me pull a prank on Skjor...?" Farkas began with a grin.

"Aye," Vilkas chuckled, "I thought that was going to be the end of us..."

"Probably would have been if he'd ever figured out it was us," Farkas nodded, still grinning.

"I was afraid he'd think it was my idea, since he'd never believe you could think up something like that," Vilkas shook his head, still smiling.

"It was just a simple pulley and a bucket of water," Farkas chuckled.

"Aye, but he's called you an 'ice-brain' ever since that incident when we were kids..."

Farkas groaned, knowing exactly which memory Vilkas was talking about, but Vilkas continued with a teasing smirk.

"...when you tried to tame a wild rabbit..."

"Still have a scar from that," Farkas grumbled, and Vilkas just laughed.

Farkas shook his head with a sigh. Then the basket beside their table caught his eye...

"Hey," Farkas said suddenly grabbing the basket. He dumped a couple of dirty shirts out of it and handed it to Vilkas.

"What?" Vilkas asked, looking at the basket in bewilderment.

"Go put it on top of Skjor's door."

"What?!"

"If you balance it just right, it'll fall down over his head when he shuts his door."

"If he figures out-"

"He's not gonna figure it out," Farkas insisted with a smirk. "You're too serious, and I'm too stupid to do these things, remember?"

"Fine..." Vilkas grumbled. He walked across the hall and Farkas motioned a couple of times to help him get it in what should be the right position.

"By Ysmir brother," Vilkas sighed when he came back, "if he figures out that was me, I will haunt you until you join me in the hunting grounds."

"That's fair," Farkas laughed. Vilkas grinned and then laughed too.

The brothers spent the rest of the night talking and quietly reminiscing. In the morning Vilkas went to tell Kodlak what had happened while Farkas stayed outside his door, waiting for Duna.

Duna seemed to be sleeping well, and Farkas couldn't help but feel a little bit of satisfaction that she was so comfortable in his bed, surrounded by his scent. She must have been tired because she slept until late in the morning.

When she did finally get up, she looked like she felt a lot better, but she still looked nervous exiting his room. She looked up at him a little sheepishly.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "I meant to get up earlier, but... I guess I was really tired."

"That's alright," Farkas smirked, "I'm glad you got some rest."

She smiled and looked like she was about to say something, but then Vilkas came around the corner.


	16. “— A Friend”

Duna and Farkas both followed Vilkas to the Harbinger's chambers. Kodlak greeted the three of them with a smile, but he didn't get up, Farkas suspected his illness was bothering him again. Then, the Harbinger turned to Duna, "I'm sorry for what Skjor and Aela have put you through, girl. I do hope you won't hold their actions against all of us."

Duna swallowed nervously, "n-no sir," she glanced back at Farkas, "I don't."

Kodlak smiled for a moment before giving a tired sigh. "Please understand," he began, "they mean well."

Vilkas snorted and Kodlak shot him a stern look.

"Skjor and Aela don't understand that we see Hircine's gift as a curse..." Kodlak explained as he looked back to Duna, "this was Skjor's way of trying to help you, to give you the enhanced strength and senses of the beast."

Duna nodded uncomfortably.

"And he apparently felt strongly enough about it to go against my advice on the matter," Kodlak added, with a slight grumble. "But you are one of us now, girl," Kodlak continued with a gentle smile. "The Companions are still committed to protecting you, and helping you defeat the dragons, but I also know this is your destiny, and therefore your task to complete, on your own terms. I will talk to Skjor and Aela, and remind them of that."

"Th-thank you," Duna stuttered, sounding surprised. Kodlak smiled and nodded.

"Now, Vilkas tells me you have a mission from the Greybeards to complete?"

"Y-yes," Duna nodded again. Farkas could hear her pulse relaxing finally. "I have to retrieve the horn of Juergen Windcaller from the thief who took it from his tomb."

"I see," Kodlak nodded, "and I assume you're going with her, boy?" He added, looking to Farkas.

"Yeah," Farkas nodded firmly. Kodlak smiled.

"Very well, not that either of you need my permission, but go with my approval."

"Thank you, Harbinger," Farkas grinned.

"Thank you," Duna agreed quietly.

Farkas had been ready to leave with her in the middle of the night, but it was such a relief to leave with Kodlak's approval instead.

Duna seemed to get nervous again as they left Kodlak's study. Vilkas walked with them out to the main hall, he and Farkas both on high alert for any sign of trouble. Torvar and Ria were in the hall having a late breakfast, but there was no sign of Skjor or Aela. Farkas understood what Kodlak had said, but he wasn't keen on running into them before Kodlak had a chance to talk with them.

"Well, I expect to hear of a lot more slain dragons to come," Vilkas smirked. Then with a gentle smile at Duna he said, "take care of my brother, Dragonborn."

Duna gave a soft chuckle at that. "I imagine it'll be the other way around, but I'll try," she smiled.

"Alright, don't let me keep you," he added, "go save the world."

Farkas stepped away from Duna to give his brother a hug. He had a feeling it would be a while before he came home again, and Farkas could tell Vilkas was thinking the same. It was a relief to be leaving with his brother's blessing too.

Duna was even more jumpy as they left Jorrvaskr, jumping at every small noise as they walked through the busy streets of Whiterun.

"Relax little rabbit," Farkas said gently putting a hand on her shoulder... which seemed to have the opposite of his intended effect... Duna's pulse kicked up even more. "Its just me," he added, sadly pulling his hand away. "I don't smell the others anywhere nearby... and I wouldn't let them touch you anyway."

"A-alright..." Duna nodded nervously, "and you... you're sure you want to come with me?" She whispered looking sadly back up the hill at Jorrvaskr, "it might be... a while... before we come back..."

"Yeah, I know," Farkas nodded, "but we won't save the world by sitting at home."

"Alright," she sighed, then with a small smile, she looked up at him, "thank you," she added genuinely, "I... I haven't had a lot of friends, but you're the only one who would have just gone with me in the middle of the night like that... I really appreciate you. I don't know what I'd do..." she trailed off, blushing a little.

Farkas just grinned back at her.

"No worries," he smiled. "You've been a good friend to me. I'm just glad you came to me instead of running away."

"Me too," she replied, blushing a little more.

Farkas's heart skipped and his wolf spirit, stirred hopefully at that, but then he remembered how she'd been startled and afraid at his touch only moments ago. It reminded him of what Vilkas had said the other evening, about her sounding conflicted; she appreciated him, but she was still afraid of him. With a deep breath he just gave her a gentle smile as they continued out of Whiterun.

He vowed silently to himself, he would remember Vilkas's advice... He would protect her... saving the world would come first... maybe that would give her time to get past her conflicted feelings... maybe then he might stand a chance of that romance he'd hoped for... but defeating the dragons had to come first, taking care of Duna would be his priority... even if she was afraid of his touch...

Duna stayed quiet as they made their way south toward Riverwood. It was mid afternoon by the time they got to the inn. Nothing in Riverwood seemed out of place, it had only been a little over a week since they'd last passed through, and Farkas didn't immediately pick up on anything different...

They were greeted by the same middle-aged Breton innkeeper with a blond ponytail and blue dress... the same slightly younger, lazy looking, big Nord with a dark brown hair and beard sat behind the bar... and the same young, cocky, blond, Nordic bard played a lute in the corner (mercifully better than the bard in Morthal at least). There was a single Nordic patron with brown hair wearing imperial armor sitting in one corner, but he didn't seem to be paying them any attention... Farkas noticed he smelled of ale.

"So... do you think they're here?" Duna asked in a low whisper.

Farkas took a deep whiff as he slowly looked around the inn again... no one looked the part of a thief who could have infiltrated an ancient Nordic tomb, but he did catch the faintest hint of old crypt dust...

"They've at least been here," Farkas confirmed just as quietly.

"Alright," Duna nodded, "you ready?"

"Mmhmm."

"Here goes..." Duna mumbled as she approached the innkeeper. Farkas kept close behind her. He donned a neutral, bored expression to hide the fact that he was paying careful attention to the smells and sounds of everyone in the inn... carefully monitoring for any change in behavior, while making sure to appear as a simple, bored body guard...

"I'd like to rent the attic room," Duna announced in a casual, confident voice.

"Attic room, eh?" The innkeeper repeated, Farkas could tell she was trying to sound nonchalant, but she was definitely surprised. "Well... we don't have an attic room," she continued slowly, looking around the inn cautiously, "but you can have the one on the left. Make yourself at home."

"Alright," Duna shrugged as she handed the woman a small pouch of gold.

The innkeeper handed her a key and went back to sweeping and Farkas watched everyone around them carefully as he followed Duna to the room. Duna paused before opening the door and Farkas took another deep whiff, trying to smell anyone who might be hiding inside, but the room smelled and sounded empty. He gave her a subtle nod and she opened the door.

It was a regular room, there was a bed, a chair, and a washbasin, and nothing looked or smelled out of place... in fact, Farkas was pretty sure he'd been in this very room once before, when he and Duna had each gotten a room for the night after their trip through Bleakfalls Barrow.

"So what do you think?" She asked quietly, shutting the door behind them. Farkas tried not to think about how the two of them walking into this room and shutting the door must have looked to anyone outside...

"I didn't smell anyone suspicious in the main hall, but 'attic room' definitely meant something to the innkeeper," Farkas answered, still scanning their room.

"Alright, so the thief is likely to come from-"

Duna was cut off as Farkas heard the innkeeper coming back to the door, and moved quickly to stand between Duna and the door, just as the innkeeper opened it. The innkeeper only paused for a moment upon seeing Farkas ready to draw his hammer.

"So you're the Dragonborn I've been hearing so much about," she said curiously looking past Farkas. "I think you're looking for this," she said with a smirk as she held out an old, ornately carved, spiral shaped horn. Farkas stared at it in surprise as Duna stepped up to reach around him and take the horn. He tried not to get distracted by how close Duna leaned to him as she did so.

"We need to talk," the innkeeper added seriously. "Follow me," and she turned and left, not waiting for their answer, leaving the door open as she went.

"What in Oblivion..." Duna grumbled, looking from the horn in her hand to the door while Farkas tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened... they had the horn... just like that... they could easily just make for the door now and head back to High Hrothgar... but the innkeeper didn't seem to mean them any harm...

"Don't know," Farkas shrugged, "she didn't smell dishonest though."

"Should we follow her?" Duna asked uncertainly.

"Up to you," Farkas shrugged again. He was pretty sure he could take a fight with everyone currently in the inn if he had to, so he wasn't horribly worried.

Duna looked in bewilderment after the innkeeper and then back at the horn in her hand again. Then she shook her head and tucked the horn into her pack.

"Yeah, I want to hear what she made us go through all that trouble for," Duna grumbled, and Farkas sensed her anger from Ustengrav returning.

They followed the innkeeper to her own room and as they did so Farkas paid more attention to this innkeeper... despite the corset, her dress wasn't particularly formfitting so her muscle tone was easily missed, but now that he was paying attention Farkas realized the woman had muscle tone more akin to a fighter than a simple innkeeper. He was still pretty sure she'd be no match for him in a fight, but he'd need to watch her much more carefully.

She instructed them to close the door, and Farkas grudgingly obliged. Then to his surprise, she opened a wardrobe and pulled open a false back, showing a set of stairs, leading to an entire underground secret room.

"Now we can talk," the innkeeper said, leading them down the stairs. Farkas followed close to Duna, taking in every detail he could. The stairs they'd just come down looked and smelled like the only exit. There was a table in the center with books and a map... an alchemy table in one corner and an enchanting table in another... various weapon racks down the walls... a bookshelf with still more books... barrels and sacks that smelled like they had a month's worth of preserved foods... a well used training dummy in another corner... old animal pelts were spread about the floor... and a large, locked chest against the far wall... the light sconces hanging from the wall and ceiling smelled like they were enchanted...

In all, it was obvious that this woman had either been in hiding or been preparing to hide from something for a very long time.

"You're the one who took the horn?" Duna asked looking curiously around the room as well. Farkas noticed her surprise and curiosity seemed to be overriding her anger.

"Surprised?" The woman asked in a tone that suggested she'd been expecting that. "I guess I'm getting pretty good at my harmless innkeeper act."

Farkas wasn't sure he liked this woman's attitude... she was probably at least thirty years his senior and obviously knew her stuff, but he still didn't care for being talked down to...

"So what do you want with me?" Duna asked sternly. Farkas resisted the urge to smirk; he could smell her adrenaline slowly building, she wouldn't let this innkeeper push her around.

"I didn't go to all this trouble on a whim," the woman defended, "I needed to make sure it wasn't a Thalmor trap."

Farkas raised an eyebrow... so it was the Thalmor who had her so paranoid with a fake identity and a hidden room... that explained a lot... Then he noticed Duna was giving the woman a similarly skeptical look.

"I'm not your enemy," the woman insisted in a more urging tone. "I already gave you the horn," she reminded. "I'm actually trying to help you. I just need you to hear me out."

"Go on," Duna sighed, "I'm listening."

"Like I said in my note, I've heard that you might be Dragonborn. I'm part of a group that's been looking for you..."

Duna tensed instantly, but the woman didn't seem to notice as she continued.

"...well, someone like you, for a very long time. If you really are Dragonborn, that is. Before I tell you any more, I need to make sure I can trust you."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Duna retorted in frustration.

"If you don't trust me, you were a fool to walk in here in the first place," the woman replied in a scolding tone.

Farkas let a low growl rumble through his chest as he stood a little straighter, making sure to watch her every move... it wasn't a direct threat, but he still didn't like her tone.

"Oh don't give me that," the woman snapped at Farkas. "You'd already be dead if I didn't like the look of you when you walked in here. I-"

"Not likely," Farkas growled.

"I already told you, I'm not your enemy," she insisted, ignoring Farkas's interruption.

"Alright, alright," Duna sighed, she also stood a bit straighter and Farkas was definitely reminded of her noble background as she began to take on a more commanding air. She turned to the innkeeper, "just so we're clear, _you'd_ already be dead if my shield-brother didn't like the look of you. You want me to hear you out, cut the condescending bullshit. Now, why are you looking for a dragonborn?"

The innkeeper didn't seem intimidated at all, but begrudgingly took on a more polite tone at least. Farkas listened in surprise as the woman introduced herself as Delphine, and told them that her secret group knew the Dragonborn was the only one who could permanently kill a dragon... and they were looking for a Dragonborn because the dragons were coming back to life...

To Farkas's frustration, Delphine wanted Duna to prove she was Dragonborn, and shouting wasn't proof enough, she wanted her to kill another dragon. Grudgingly, Duna agreed to meet Delphine in Kynesgrove.

It was fairly late in the evening by the time Delphine finished talking, and Duna told Delphine they'd leave for Kynesgrove in the morning. Duna offered to go rent Farkas his own room for the night, but Farkas could hear in her tone and pulse that she didn't like that idea. He hopefully offered to sleep on the floor in her room to make sure no one tried anything funny. To his surprise, she nervously, but gratefully agreed to that.

Farkas came back from the washroom to find Duna fast asleep, slumped over in the bed, with her journal open on her pillow and the stick of charcoal still in her hand.

With a soft smile, Farkas gently took the charcoal from her fingers, pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, and went to shut her journal. He had no intentions of invading her privacy, but there were only a couple sentences on the page, and before he realized it he'd read;

..._scared to be with him, but I'm scared to be without him._

_How am I supposed to figure out how to stop the dragons when I can't even figure out how I feel?_

Farkas hastily shut the journal and set it on the desk beside her, blew out the lamp, and settled into his bedroll on the floor. He felt guilty for reading her journal, but at least now he knew why he thought she was giving him mixed signals; because she was. She was afraid of him, but she knew she needed his help. Vilkas, as usual, was right again.


	17. A Shocking Turn of Events

The morning found Duna none the wiser that Farkas had picked up her journal the night before. Farkas had had trouble sleeping, as usual, troubled by what he'd read, but he resolved to simply continue on as he'd been planning... as Vilkas had suggested. As long as she wanted him along, he'd go with her.

They had breakfast and then set out from the inn just as two men in imperial armor were entering. They weren't the same imperials they'd met on their way to High Hrothgar, but Farkas recognized the same non-military armor. Duna did too, and she quickened her step down the road. Fortunately the men didn't attempt to stop them and they were leaving Riverwood minutes later.

"So," Duna began, breaking the silence around mid-morning, "what's your take on Delphine?"

Farkas took a moment to consider before answering, "she's been at that inn as long as I can remember... never thought she was anything but an innkeeper," he shrugged. "Didn't care for her attitude when she first started talking, but she cooperated after you set her straight," he continued with a smirk. Duna nodded and smirked as well.

"I'm glad she did. She was starting to piss me off," Duna grumbled.

"I could tell," Farkas chuckled, and he heard Duna's pulse pick up just a little at that. "But for someone so paranoid, she sure is sure of herself," he added. Duna quirked an eyebrow at him curiously and Farkas explained, "I can usually tell when someone is scared, angry, or lying," he tapped the side of his nose for explanation, "and she seemed more worried about whether or not we'd listen to her than if we were actually dangerous."

"Interesting," Duna nodded, then with a sigh she added, "well, hopefully she'll actually be able to help us figure out what we need to do. She at least seems to know a lot about the dragons."

Farkas nodded. He started to comment on how Delphine had clearly been gathering information for a long time, but a sound behind them suddenly caught his ears.

A pair of horses were coming up the road toward them, at a full run. He spun around in time to see the two imperials they'd seen as they left Riverwood one on a grey dapple and the other on a dark brown bay.

"There they are!" The one on the bay yelled.

"Restrain the Nord!" The one on the dapple yelled in reply.

Farkas pulled his hammer quickly from his back with a growl, "Duna, run!"

Duna pulled her bow from her back while she hopped a rock and quickly darted away from the road.

Farkas turned back to face the on coming men, trying to size up his options in the moments before they would be upon him.

The horses looked like fine beasts, it would be a shame to break their legs, but if the men kept coming at that speed it would be the quickest way to stop them...

But before Farkas could follow through with another thought, while the horses were still a few yards away, the man that Farkas could now see was an Altmer, fired a long bolt of electricity into him and all of his muscles seized. Moments later the Imperial riding the bay fired an arrow that struck him in the shoulder pad of his armor, barely grazing the skin underneath. He was about to laugh at what a lousy shot it was, but he suddenly found he couldn't move... the arrow had been tipped with a paralysis poison... and a strong one at that. Farkas swore as the elf hit him with another lightning bolt that dropped him to the ground. He felt so stupid... Vilkas would have dodged that lightning bolt, he thought bitterly.

"Good," the elf sneered as they pulled their horses to a stop on either side of him, "I'll interrogate him, you go find Lady Celeste."

"Right," the Imperial nodded.

Farkas just growled and tried to get his muscles to move as both men dismounted.

"Now," the elf said, casting a smaller arc of sparks into Farkas's immobilized body as the Imperial ran off the road in the direction Duna had gone. Farkas hid his groans of pain behind growls of anger. "Why did you kidnap the Lady Celeste?"

"I didn't," Farkas spat, and off in the woods he heard the Imperial calling out,

"Lady Celeste, come out, you're safe! We've captured your kidnapper!"

"Really, there's no point in lying to us," the elf sighed as he released more sparks into Farkas's back. "Have you defiled her? Or will she still be intact for her wedding night? Because that’s going to affect how much I get paid."

Farkas could only growl furiously at that. He felt the chest pain that usually came before his transformations, he wanted to rip this damned elf's head off... but his muscles wouldn't respond, which seemed to be keeping his transformation at bay too. He thought he heard shouts and startled yells coming from the woods off the road... he struggled furiously to make his muscles move.

"It’s nothing to get angry about," the elf smirked, "its just that her husband-to-be is paying us to bring her back to him... _intact..._ he enjoys them more that way," the elf explained with a sickening smile before he began casting the sparks again and the muscles he still couldn't move just began seizing and spasming painfully across his whole body. Farkas let out a yell of pain and anger, but the elf didn't let up this time.

"I just want answers, we can do this the easy way or the painful way," the elf smirked lazily as the sparks spell kept Farkas's whole body convulsing with pain.

Then suddenly the sparks stopped as the elf was sent flying with the thundering sound of "FUS RO!" The horses spooked and both dashed without their riders off down the road, and the elf landed hard on his back against several rocks beside the road.

"What-?" He choked, starring up at Duna in confusion.

"He didn't kidnap me you fucking bastard," Duna growled, walking slowly up to the elf. "I'm not this 'Lady Celeste' you're looking for. I'm the Dragonborn." She slowly lifted her bow, "now, I'm sure that was an honest mistake" she said, slowly pulling back her arrow, aiming directly at the elf's throat, "and if you hadn't been trying to torture my shield-brother, I would have let you live... such a shame..." she released the arrow and there was a sickening gurgle as the elf tried to scream, but the arrow sliced through his windpipe and he was dead in moments.

Farkas sighed in relief, but he still couldn't move his muscles. Then Duna was on her knees at his side, her pulse and breathing sounded frantic.

"Farkas?" She gasped, "Farkas are you ok?" She quickly pulled her helmet and gloves off and then gently ran her hands along his chest and arms, searching for injuries. Then she placed her hands on the sides of his face, looking down into his eyes in concern. Her hands were so soft... Farkas wished he could feel her hands run over him like that without his armor on... his heart pounded happily at having her so close, and worried for him made him begin to forget how angry he’d been moments before.

"'M fine," he struggled, a small smile tugging at his lips, "just a paralysis poison."

"Thank the divines," Duna sighed. She carefully pulled the arrow out of his shoulder pad before turning to rifle through her potion satchel. "Here, I've got a 'cure poison potion'... uh..." she trailed off looking at him uncertainly with the small red bottle in her hand, and Farkas noticed her heart was still going the same speed, but now she smelled nervous, not frantic. "Alright, here you go..." she said as she scooted a little closer to him and managed to get her hands underneath his shoulders and back. She struggled to lift him, but managed to slide her knees under his shoulders as well and with a lot of effort, she managed to get him propped up enough to drink the antidote. Farkas felt his own pulse pounding as he lay against her. Her scent... so close... he couldn't just hear her pounding heart, he could feel it... and he could feel her breath on the side of his face as she leaned over him, trying to help him drink the potion. The potion tasted awful, but Duna's gentle hands pouring it into his mouth more than made up for that. When the potion started to take effect he didn't want to move, his muscles all still hurt from the shocks, and leaning against Duna was comfortable.

Duna set the potion bottle down and just let her arms rest across his shoulders and chest, keeping him leaned against her. It was so nice... Farkas wanted to reach up and take her hand in his... he wanted to kiss her soft hands, and then turn around and kiss her lips... but he groaned as he tried to flex his hand, he could move again, but everything still hurt. Then he heard Duna draw in a sharp breath.

"Divines! Farkas, that looks awful!"

Farkas looked down at his arms to see the electrical burns seared down both arms... which explained why everything hurt, he supposed.

"Farkas, I'm so sorry," Duna said worriedly. Suddenly, her hands both began to glow with a golden light, still pressed against his chest.

"What-" Farkas began to try and sit up, to ask her what she was doing... he had no idea she could do magic... he didn't like magic... but then the warm and soothing spell seeped into him and all of his aches and pains faded. It was like drinking the highest quality healing potion, without the awful flavor. The burns disappeared and there was nothing but warmth and comfort. "Hey, that felt good!" Farkas said in surprise, looking over his shoulder in awe at Duna.

"I'm so sorry," she shook her head, letting her hands fall into her lap, and looking down.

"What for?" Farkas cocked his head at her in confusion as he turned around.

"This..." Duna gestured back at the dead elf, "this is all because they're looking for me... I... I never realized someone might think you were the one who kidnapped me... I... I'm sorry," she shook her head, and Farkas thought he smelled tears welling in her eyes. "He... he was going to torture and kill you... because of me..." she said guiltily. Farkas tried to wrap his mind around this turn of events... was she still afraid of him? She didn't seem scared of how close he was to her now... but she did smell like she was about to cry...

He tried to think of words to comfort her... "Not your fault," he shook his head a moment later, "he was gonna torture and kill me because he was an asshole... and because I was too stupid to dodge that damn spell. I'm _alive_ because of you." He put a hand gently on her shoulder and heard her pulse jump with a start, but then,

"I'm glad," she sighed and smiled up at him, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Farkas grinned, and Duna leaned forward and gave him a tight hug, her arms wrapped around his middle with the side of her face against the chest plate of his armor. Farkas was surprised for a moment, but didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her.

Was this the time to make a move? To kiss her? He wanted to... but she had her head tucked down... not exactly a position he could easily kiss her like he wanted to...

He lowered his head so his nose and lips just barely brushed the top of her hair... she smelled so lovely... like wildflowers with a hint of honey, and the slightest remaining hints of fire.

His wolf spirit stirred excitedly... this was the time to take her... to pin her down and claim his mate... she was his!

Farkas took a deep breath, now was definitely _not_ the time, he realized. He wasn't about to try and kiss her with his wolf spirit under questionable control. And he had to remember Vilkas's warning. He didn't want to make her afraid of him again. He wanted her to trust him... so he had to be trustworthy. He was determined to be an honorable man, not a beast... which probably meant they needed to get back on the road before he lost his resolve...

"We should get going," Farkas said with a reluctant sigh. Duna pulled slowly back from him and nodded.

"We should," she agreed, getting slowly to her feet. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Farkas replied, getting to his feet as well. To his surprise nothing hurt anymore, even the slight ache he'd had from sleeping on the floor was gone. "You fixed me up good," he grinned, he stretched an flexed a little.

"That's good," Duna smiled, blushing a little. "I was a little worried because I've never actually used that spell outside of learning it."

"I didn't know you could do magic," Farkas commented curiously. Duna looked at her feet.

"Sorry," she sounded embarrassed, "Vilkas said the Companions don't deal in magic, so I'd been trying not to use it."

"Oh, that's alright," Farkas assured her. He'd been startled and a little uncomfortable when she first began casting a spell, but he didn't see what could be wrong with a spell that worked just like a potion that he would have taken otherwise... and it felt _good_...

"I've never trusted magic types, but you I trust," he smiled gently, "you can use that spell on me any time."

"Good to know," she smiled, and Farkas noticed her pulse was still pounding as she put her helmet back on, and they began walking down the road again.

He was about to ask her what other magic she could do, but then he caught the scent of the two horses the men had been riding and another thought occurred to him.

"What happened to the other guy?" Farkas asked, curiously looking over his shoulder at where he'd followed Duna off the road.

"Oh," Duna chuckled, "I told him I was the Dragonborn and threatened to kill him if I ever saw him again. He ran off back toward Riverwood... I think he peed on himself."

Farkas chuckled at that as well.

"I'm hoping," Duna continued, "since I let him live, he'll tell the others and no one will come after us again... but I should still probably get a hood or mask of some kind."

"Probably a good idea," Farkas agreed.

A few moments later, around a bend in the road, they found the pair of horses that had run off; a dark bay gelding, and a dapple mare. They were standing just off the road, and aside from a little spooked, they looked to be in good condition.

"Oh!" Duna quietly gasped in excitement, "I was hoping they'd be ok!"

Farkas watched as she very slowly and cautiously approached the large animals. They both watched her warily, but the bay stood still and let Duna gently stroke its neck, then it leaned its head into her hand so she could stroke its face. Seeing that, the dapple stepped forward for Duna to pet as well. Duna looked back over her shoulder at Farkas with a grin.

"How do you feel about riding to Kynesgrove?"


	18. Kynesgrove

"So... I've never _really_ ridden a horse," Duna admitted a little nervously from the saddle of the dapple mare as they got on the road, "I was taught to ride side-saddle... and one of my favorite places to go when I used to sneak out was the horse stables. The stable hands taught me to groom them and I used to go do that for fun sometimes...but I don't exactly know what I'm doing..."

"You're doin' fine," Farkas smirked, he had figured as much when he helped her into the saddle, but she really was doing fine. She wasn't afraid of the huge animal, which was part of most people's problem when they didn't know horses, and she had good balance, but on top of that, she learned quickly.

A quick inspection had shown that both horses were in good shape, and looked to have been recently groomed and saddled. They were both the huge hardy breed of horses, bred in Skyrim for carrying Nords, but the bay was a little bigger than the dapple, so that was Farkas's new mount. And that suited Farkas just fine, it was a friendly, calm horse that seemed not to have a care in the world. The dapple was a little more cautious, but she had warmed up to Duna quickly and was agreeably following Duna's every pull on the reins.

They settled into comfortable silence as they rode, and Farkas's mind went back to the elven bounty hunter who'd been hired to find Duna... the way he'd referred to Duna as if she were simply an object for this man's pleasure... he was glad that elf was dead, but he wanted to find this so called 'husband-to-be' and rip his throat out... possibly rip his damned genitals off first for good measure...

Farkas didn't even care that his wolf spirit was getting worked up with ideas of destroying this man... he knew that for once the thoughts of violence had originated from his own mind, not the wolf spirit.

He was glad Duna hadn't had to listen to the filth the damned bounty hunter had said. He was even more determined now; he would never let anyone take her back to marry that man.

Once Duna got comfortable, they were able to ride at a faster pace, and they made it to Kynesgrove by dinner time. Duna payed the stable hands to feed and take care of their new horses for the night and they went inside for dinner.

Over dinner Duna told him more about sneaking out to see the horses at the palace stables and of some of the horses that were her favorites.

They were just finishing their food when they heard a bit of a commotion outside, and a frantic woman ran inside. She yelled something about a dragon attacking up by the old mound, and Duna and Farkas both swore. They had both kept all of their armor on, so it only took a few moments for them to both be out the door.

Delphine met them on the road toward the old mound and sure enough, there was an enormous black dragon, flapping just above the mound.

"That's the one that destroyed Helgen," Duna whispered nervously readying her bow. Farkas looked at the huge creature in alarm... it was considerably bigger than the other two dragons they'd already killed, with black scales and red eyes... it made Farkas's wolf spirit uncomfortable... this didn't feel like a monster that could be slain... it felt ancient and evil... he didn't want Duna anywhere near it... he wanted to grab her and run as far away as they could go...

Farkas took a deep breath and pulled out his own bow. Delphine had her bow out as well, and the three of them crept slowly up toward the mound. The dragon didn't seem to be actually attacking anything, just flapping in the air above the mound, and it didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

Then the dragon began chanting something and a column of light burst from the mound. Delphine said something to Duna, but Farkas just watched, transfixed as the skeleton of a once dead dragon burst from the large mound. As the huge black dragon spoke, the muscles, flesh and scales rematerialized, and another dragon, much more similar to the two they'd already killed, stood on the ground before them.

The smaller dragon looked up and said something to the larger dragon. Farkas couldn't understand any of the words, but he did register one thing: Alduin. The newly reanimated dragon had just called the huge, evil looking, black dragon Alduin. _That_ was the dragon that Vilkas had said, according to legend, could only be killed by a Dragonborn... by Duna... 'Alduin the World Eater,' Vilkas had called him... Duna had to save the world from that... Farkas was terrified, but there was no way in Oblivion he'd let her face that alone.

Then Alduin turned toward them and Farkas tried to calm the terror in his pounding heart, reminding himself to use his adrenaline to fight... to help and protect Duna...

But instead of attacking, Alduin just flapped in place and spoke to Duna... Farkas didn't like this at all... Alduin condescendingly taunted Duna before giving a command to the smaller dragon and flying away.

"My lord Alduin requires your death," the smaller dragon growled with what Farkas uncomfortably realized was probably a smile, "I am glad to oblige him," the dragon snarled as it took to the air. Alduin didn't take long to get out of sight, and Farkas was a little ashamed at how relieved he was by that.

Duna fired an arrow into the smaller dragon's face and the dragon breathed an intense stream of, not fire, but ice down in Duna's direction. Duna narrowly dove out of the way of the instant frostbite and Farkas quickly took to launching arrows at the beast as well. He was pretty sure he saw Delphine shooting it too, but he wasn't particularly worried about her. As soon as Duna got back to her feet she squared her shoulders, looked up at the dragon and,

"YOL!" A stream of fire struck the dragon just under one of its wings and the dragon roared furiously. It landed hard on the ground, seemingly trying to crush Duna as it did so, but Duna was much quicker.

"Dovahkiin," the dragon snarled, "your voice is no match for mine!"

Farkas heard Duna actually give a small snort at that, which made him chuckle as well as he pulled his hammer from his back and charged.

Farkas landed a few good hits with his hammer before the dragon decided to take to the air again, angrily breathing ice down at him. In his heavy armor, Farkas wasn't near as quick as Duna, and he ended up caught by the freezing blast. Farkas was certain he would have been dead if he weren't a particularly tough Nord...

Duna responded by shouting more fire up at the dragon, followed by several arrows. She easily kept the dragon's attention long enough for Farkas to recover and get his own bow back out.

Several arrows, and a few of Duna's shouts later, the dragon finally crashed to the ground. Farkas swapped back to his hammer and charged again. Duna pulled out her sword and dagger and ran in as well. The dragon turned to snap at Farkas, but his hammer connected with its snout before it could get a hold of him. From the other side of the dragon's head, Duna thrust her sword into the dragons eye, all the way to the hilt. The dragon gave a final anguished roar before writhing and collapsing to the ground, dead.

"I'll be damned, you did it! That was well done," Delphine said approvingly as Duna pulled her sword out of the dragon's face. "I've been wanting a closer look at one of these buggers," she added approaching the dragon curiously. Farkas just watched in mild amusement as Delphine poked at the corpse before the dead dragon began to quiver and the scales began to glow. "Wait. Something's happening..." Delphine said jumping back as the scales began to disintegrate, "...gods above!"

The scales and flesh melted away and Duna absorbed the dragon's power, with a bit of a smug smirk on her face. Farkas chuckled quietly at Delphine's look of shock.

"So you really are... i... it's true, isn't it? You really are Dragonborn," Delphine said in awe.

"Yep," Duna replied bluntly.

"I owe you some answers, don't I? Go ahead. Whatever you want to know. Nothing held back."

Duna straightened up, stepped over to Farkas as he was putting his hammer away, and cast the healing spell on him. Farkas grinned as the warm magic soothed his aches and he felt like Duna's priority. Once she was done casting the spell she looked to Delphine and, a little irritably, asked, "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

Farkas just listened while Duna questioned Delphine, and Delphine answered and explained. Delphine sounded much more open and honest now... he didn't detect any signs of dishonesty... she was a member of a group called the Blades... Farkas thought he'd heard of them, probably in a story his father had told, or a history his brother had read... Delphine said they were dragon slayers, but with how helpful she'd been with this dragon Farkas questioned that.

She seemed convinced that there was someone behind bringing the dragons back... Farkas was pretty sure that 'someone' was just Alduin, coming back because now he could... or maybe it was the gods... he was pretty sure there was no person or group of people who could control the dragon that he'd just seen flying away.

But Delphine seemed convinced the Thalmor had something to do with it... Farkas almost laughed at the thought, but the idea that they'd probably at least have information seemed reasonable, so he stayed quiet. Duna sounded skeptical as well as she asked Delphine how they were going to get information out of the Thalmor... Farkas wasn't sure he liked the idea of trying to to get into the Thalmor Embassy...

He was relieved when Delphine bid them a farewell and hurried off into the night.

"Well, she is at least good for information," Duna sighed once Delphine was out of sight. "What do you think? Do you trust her?"

"Trust is too strong a word," Farkas shook his head, "but she seemed honest, so that's good."

Duna nodded. "I'm thinking," she said thoughtfully, "we head back to High Hrothgar in the morning, and then we can meet her in Riverwood after that."

"Alright then," Farkas agreed. "And tonight?"

"Sleep," she smiled, pointing back at the inn. Farkas smirked as he followed her back to the inn. To his surprise she requested one room with two beds.

"Just, you know, to make sure no one tries anything funny..." she said, blushing as she came back from the bar with a single key, "if you don't mind, that is..."

"Don't mind at all," Farkas replied in an even tone, trying not to smile too much. He followed Duna to the room, and he heard Duna's breath catch in her throat as she opened the door. The room was small. There were two beds, but they were very close together... Farkas thought Duna sounded like she was rethinking letting him share her room.

"I can go get my own room if you'll be uncomfortable," he offered quietly.

"N-no..." she shook her head, but she wouldn't look at him, and Farkas could see she was blushing. "I... I think... I'd rather have you close by... you know, in case more of my father's bounty hunters show up."

"'Cause I was loads of help with the last two," Farkas joked, but he stepped into the room and set his hammer down beside the bed closest to the door. Duna gave a small laugh at that and looked up at him.

"Maybe I mean so I can protect you," she teased, squeezing past him to set her bow and quiver of arrows beside the other bed. "Vilkas did tell me to take care of you too."

"True," Farkas chuckled. He turned to see her sit down on the bed and begin rifling through her pack... it reminded him of her first night in the common room at Jorrvaskr, when he'd first agreed to help her... it was hard to believe that had only been about a month ago... she'd come so far from the scared little rabbit asking if he could teach her to fight... now she was a warrior who had just responded with a snort of laughter when a dragon taunted her... she'd killed three dragons already...

Then it struck Farkas that that also meant he had fought and helped kill three dragons now... that certainly wasn't a feat many other Nords could boast...

"Ah ha!" Duna's exclamation suddenly pulled Farkas from his thoughts. He blinked and saw she was holding a light brown bit of fabric. He cocked his head and watched as she pulled her helmet off and put the fabric over her head, tucking the ends under the collar of her armor... it was a hood, a relatively old and ratty looking hood... that smelled like a week-old corpse...

"What do you think?" Duna asked looking up at him with the hood in place. Farkas wrinkled his nose.

"Smells like a dead body," he said bluntly.

"Oh, ew," she groaned and quickly pulled it back off. Farkas resisted the urge to chuckle at her messed up hair. She threw the hood back into her enchanted pack with a sigh. "Guess I'll have to find something else to hide my face," she grumbled.

"That won't do you much good for armor anyway," Farkas pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's better than a bounty hunter attacking you again," she muttered guiltily.

"Don't worry about me," he smiled, "I'd rather you be protected."

"Thanks," she smiled and blushed a little as she went back to rummaging in her gear pack. "Well if I didn't need the washroom before, I certainly do now," she sighed a moment later.

"You don't smell _that_ bad," Farkas chuckled as he reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Thanks," she grumbled, but she smirked up at him. "I'll be back in a bit," she added, grabbing her pack.

Farkas gave her a nod and she made her way to the door and then down the hall. He listened to her footsteps until he heard her reach the washroom and lock the door behind her. Then he sat down and began to dig through his pack for some paper... he was sure he had a charcoal stick in there too...

Farkas made his way to the tiny desk in the corner and wrote a letter to Vilkas. His brother had wanted updates on dragons they'd killed. He wondered how things were going back home... he'd been away longer than this before, but this was the first time he'd been away without a clear idea of when he'd be heading back.

He told Vilkas about all about Delphine, and her ideas about the dragons, then about their run-in with the men from Cyrodiil, and then finally about how they'd encountered Alduin and killed another dragon.

Farkas was just finishing his letter when Duna came back, and then he went to wash up.

She was asleep by the time he came back to the room again. Farkas set his things down quietly and settled into his own bed. He looked over at her in the bed beside his... the beds were so close he could reach over and touch her... he knew better than to actually do so, but it made him smile to be able to smell her so well. She'd washed again so she smelled more of wildflowers than anything else, but there was still an underlying hint of fire... Farkas thought that probably came from her fire shout now. He liked that wilderness campfire scent.

Farkas wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he dreamed of reaching over to Duna's bed and pulling her into his arms... feeling her happily nuzzle into his chest as he kissed the top of her head...

He was very disappointed in the morning to find it had been only a dream.


	19. Another ‘Friend’?

Farkas found a courier on their way out of Kynesgrove, and paid him to bring his letter to Vilkas. Then he and Duna retrieved their horses from the stables and got on the road.

With horses they made great time, and were in Ivrastead in time to get lunch at the inn. Then they stabled their horses at the inn and left to make the climb back up the seven thousand steps.

To Farkas's surprise, the climb was uneventful... not even a random pack of wolves bothered them... Duna was startled by a mountain goat jumping across their paths once and she jumped about a foot in the air and nearly shot it. Farkas smirked, barely resisting the urge to laugh and call her a little rabbit again.

A while later they were both uncomfortably startled to find that in the cold the body of the dead frost troll hadn't even begun to decay and it was still laying, mostly undisturbed where it had fallen on the trail.

But beyond that the climb was peaceful.

Duna presented Master Anrgeir with the horn and the Greybeards taught her the last word to her force shout. Farkas was a little uncomfortable when he had to stand back in the entry way as the Greybeards 'formally recognized' her, as Anrgeir had said. The four old men had surrounded her and shouted strange words at her that shook the entire building. The noise made Farkas's sensitive ears ache and he'd had to clasp his hands over his ears... he felt like he looked like a frightened child, but he couldn't take his eyes off Duna. To his amazement she was entirely unharmed when it was all done.

The Greybeards declared High Hrothgar was open to her and she was free to come and go as she pleased. Farkas was happy to hear the 'and go' part. Duna was just as eager as Farkas was to make it back down the mountain before dark.

They'd hardly gotten back into Ivrastead when Duna was hailed by a courier. He had a letter for Duna, but said he didn't know who from. Farkas was immediately suspicious and watched as Duna unfolded and read the yellowed parchment.

"Huh... that's... interesting," she said a moment later. "See what you make of this," she said, handing him the letter.

It was an old feeling, thick, yellowed parchment with a distinctive border design, and it had been written in ink, not charcoal...

Curiously, Farkas read:

_Duna,_

_You caused a bit of stir in Kynesgrove when you demonstrated the power of your Thu'um. Not everyone is anxious for the return of the Dragonborn._

_I for one desire to see you grow and develop your talents. Skyrim needs a true hero these days._

_You should turn your attention to High Gate Ruins. I understand it holds a mysterious source of power that can only be unlocked by the Dragonborn._

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend._

Farkas flipped the letter over in confusion. He could smell the courier's sweat and leather satchel... but beyond that it had a faint scent he couldn't place... it reminded him somehow of home, but it definitely didn't smell like Jorrvaskr...

He looked up at Duna who was curiously examining the small map that had come with the letter.

"What do you think?" She asked a moment later, looking back up at Farkas.

"Not sure," Farkas shook his head. "It doesn't smell like Delphine, so I'm not sure what 'friend' this is."

"Yeah, I didn't think it was her handwriting either," Duna agreed. "Who does it smell like?"

Farkas raised an eyebrow at her, he liked that she was getting comfortable with his wolf senses.

"The courier," Farkas shrugged, "besides that, I can't place it..."

"So it definitely wasn't Kodlak," Duna said thoughtfully.

"No..." Farkas agreed.

"And the Greybeards would have just given me information directly..."

"Probably..."

"I'm assuming you didn't write it..." Duna joked.

"No," Farkas chuckled.

"Well that's all of my friends," Duna pointed out in bewilderment. Farkas smiled. "Not to mention I can't think of anyone beyond you or Delphine who would have known anything about my shouting in Kynesgrove..."

"Hmmm..." Farkas grumbled.

Duna looked thoughtfully back at the map. "You know what," she said several moments later, Farkas raised an eyebrow at her attentively... "I've got a good feeling about this," she continued, handing Farkas the map. "Let's go check it out, before we go back to Riverwood... Delphine can wait," she added with a smile.

Farkas looked at the map, his first reaction was to protest... not to trust a nameless stranger... he especially didn't like the idea that someone seemed to be somehow watching her without them knowing, especially with her father's bounty hunters running around... but something about the scent that reminded him of home made him agree with her... they'd need to be careful, but he had a good feeling about this tip...

"Alright," he nodded with a shrug.

Duna pulled out her large map and Farkas looked over her shoulder, holding up the smaller map for comparison. He smiled subtly as he noticed she gave no indication that his proximity made her uncomfortable. His chin just barely brushed the top of her helmet...

"Ok, there," she pointed, Farkas looked at the spot on the map with a nod. It would be dark soon, and he'd been kind of looking forward to sharing a room at the inn in Ivrastead... not to mention dinner...

"So, we'll leave in the morning, yeah?" Farkas asked hopefully.

"Hmm? Oh," Duna looked up at the setting sun, "yeah," she nodded, "sorry, I almost got carried away."

Farkas just chuckled quietly as they walked the rest of the way into town and made their way into the inn. The inn keeper recognized them by now and offered them their usual room, and had dinner ready by the time they were both done in the washroom.

They set out for the so-called High Gate Ruins just after breakfast the next morning. It would have probably taken them just under two days on foot, but with horses they were there by late afternoon.

They unsaddled and let their horses graze in a patch of grass below the base of the ruins before making their way carefully up to the entrance.

To Farkas, it looked like any old ancient Nordic tomb, and smelled like there were probably several draugr inside.

Duna took out her bow before heading carefully inside, and Farkas followed, his hammer at the ready.

Once inside the old tomb, Farkas immediately sensed they weren't alone. He smelled flesh and blood... one person... in fur armor... steel, probably a dagger... no other weapons...

"Someone's here," he told Duna in a low whisper, "probably a magic user."

Duna nodded silently and nocked an arrow before continuing forward. Farkas stayed right behind her as quietly as he could.

As they came into the first chamber of the tomb Farkas caught sight of a Nord woman with dusty blond hair pulled back in braids, wearing slightly mismatched fur armor... she was reading something on a small table and didn't seem to have heard them... she looked to be close in age to him and Duna, maybe a few years his senior... she was covered in crypt dust and dirt, and looked like she'd been digging through old ruins for a while. The way she poured over the thing she was reading reminded him a little of Vilkas, and without thinking he motioned for Duna not to shoot. Duna raised an eyebrow at him in surprise, but lowered her bow.

"Don't think she's hostile," Farkas whispered with a shrug. Duna looked back at the woman curiously before standing up and approaching slowly. She kept the arrow on the string, but her bow was pointed down.

"Hello?" Duna said cautiously stepping into thelit entry chamber. The woman jumped and got to her feet, but relaxed a little as she saw their weapons were lowered. She looked curiously from Duna to Farkas with blue-green eyes and Farkas was suddenly struck with the thought that he'd expected them to be pale blue like his own. He quirked an eyebrow at her in confusion... he was sure he hadn't met her before, but she seemed familiar... She looked from Farkas to Duna and back again several times before finally speaking.

"You look strong, have you come to help?" The woman asked eagerly.

"Help with what?" Duna asked in confusion.

"Sorry," she replied, "I thought you were someone who got my message..."

Duna and Farkas exchanged confused glances.

"Sorry," Duna shook her head, "who are you?"

"I'm Anska," the woman replied bluntly as if that explained everything.

"Right..." Duna nodded. She glanced back at Farkas again and he just shrugged. Anska still didn’t show any signs of hostility... "So what did you need help with?" Duna prompted in mild exasperation.

"Oh, well... for years I've been searching for a certain scroll, and I'm sure it just has to be here," she explained, "I just need a little help getting it."

"What's so important about this scroll?" Duna asked cautiously.

"It's probably meaningless to you," Anska said quickly, "but according to family legend it links our bloodline back to Ysgramor himself."

That got Farkas's attention... the bloodline of Ysgramor... and she sounded cautious, but not dishonest... Farkas was pretty sure Vilkas had told him something about Skyrim’s high kings all having supposedly descended from Ysgramor, but there could easily be other lines still around... he was intrigued...

Duna looked back at him questioningly and Farkas gave her a subtle nod. He thought Anska could be crazy or delusional, but he was still confident nothing about her seemed hostile.

"So what do you need help with exactly?" Duna asked suspiciously turning back to Anska.

"Well..." Anska said hesitantly, "this is the tomb of Vokun... one of the ancient dragon priests... and... if Vokun is as powerful as I think, I may need a little help um ... dealing ...with him."

"Ah," Duna nodded, looking back at Farkas again.

Farkas shrugged, "nothing we can't handle," he said with a small but confident smile. And he hoped it was true... he didn't know how powerful a dragon priest was, but he was pretty sure he remembered from the stories that dragon priests had served the dragons, and he and Duna had killed dragons.

"The tomb of a dragon priest is probably what we're looking for anyway," Duna added, "we can help."

"Great, with the three of us this should be easy," Anska said excitedly.

Farkas chuckled at the woman's excitement and followed Duna as she led the way into the tomb. Anska followed Farkas... Farkas glanced back at her periodically, trying to place why she seemed so familiar to him... she didn't just look vaguely familiar, she smelled vaguely familiar, and it was different from faint scent on the letter that had reminded him of home... she definitely hadn't been the one who wrote the letter. Anska just smiled curiously back at him about the tenth time he glanced back at her... he was so distracted by Anska, he wasn’t sure how long they’d been walking, and then he almost didn't hear a pair of draugr stirring in the room they’d just walked into. Anska cast a fire-bolt that flew past his face and incinerated a draugr, and Farkas turned just in time to see Duna shoot the other. Duna gave him a slightly confused look before turning to continue through the tomb. Farkas quickly decided he'd write to Vilkas about Anska when they got out of the tomb, but he needed to focus on the draugr now. Vilkas would probably be able to make sense of her.

Farkas quickly noted it was a smaller tomb than Ustengrav or Dustman's Cairn. As Duna led them through the chambers Farkas noticed she was beginning to smell a little angry... she darted ahead as if she were in a hurry, and even killed several draugr with her sword instead of hanging back and picking them off with her bow. His wolf spirit was enjoying watching her furiously cut the draugr down with her sword... it was a little arousing honestly... but Farkas was wondering why she would recklessly rush through... she was better with her bow than she was with a sword, and she usually liked to sneak. At one point she rushed around a corner and ended up surrounded by three draugr. Farkas was impressed she'd killed two of them by the time he caught up and smashed the third with his hammer. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when Anska caught up as well and Duna just gave them both a smile that looked a little forced before taking off again. Farkas scrambled after her in bewilderment.

Then she darted around a corner so quickly she didn't see a pressure plate on the floor until almost too late.

"What's your hurry?" Farkas asked in exasperation as he jumped backwards to avoid the spiked gate that swung out from the wall. Duna had only just dove clear of it herself.

"Nothing," she grumbled a little sheepishly as she got to her feet. He could hear her pulse pounding and smell her adrenaline flowing.

"Hey," he said gently putting a hand on her shoulder, "relax, little rabbit."

"I'm fine," Duna sighed grumpily as she gently pulled away from him. Farkas's heart lurched uncomfortably at that... she didn't give any indication she was afraid of him... was she mad at him? He didn't have a clue what he could have done to make her mad at him...

Farkas just watched feeling a little hurt as she continued on into the larger chamber. Then Anska caught back up.

"This looks like some sort of lever puzzle," Anska said looking around the chamber. "We'll have to figure out the correct order to flip them," she said, pointing at four stone pillars that were at each side of the room.

"Yeah, I know," Duna grumbled as she looked around the room. Farkas just stood back and watched quietly as she fiddled with the leavers and turned the pillars. Anska pointed out more symbols above, which prompted another slightly irritable "yeah, I know," from Duna.

A few moments later, Duna pulled a lever and a trap door opened. Duna darted down a set of spiral stairs without a word, Farkas scrambled after her, and he heard Anska follow calmly.

When he finally caught up with Duna she was already engaged in battle with what looked to Farkas to be a flying draugr with a golden staff and a mask that looked like steel... and a huge storm atronach.

Duna was dashing back and forth around the room with the storm atronach chasing her while the flying draugr (that Farkas assumed was the dragon priest) launched massive fireballs from his staff. Farkas was amazed Duna was avoiding being hit by all the attacks, but she was having to run too much to manage to shoot.

Farkas pulled his hammer from his back and rushed at the storm atronach. Hopefully with the atronach off her back she could shoot the flying dragon priest...

Farkas hit the atronach solidly in the back with his hammer, and Duna must have already managed to do a fair amount of damage to it, because with that one hit, the monster exploded and crumbled away. Farkas looked over to Duna just in time to see her stop to ready her bow, as the dragon priest launched a fireball that completely engulfed her. Farkas felt like his heart dropped into his stomach as Duna dropped out of sight, into a pile of rubble.

"Gods, no!" He yelled as he ran toward the charred space he'd last seen her. He narrowly avoided another fireball, as the dragon priest turned his attention to him. Farkas stopped short with a growl, momentarily debating if his wolf form would be any use in this fight, but then an arrow flew from the piles of ash and rubble, impaling Vokun right through one of the eye-slits in his mask. Another arrow followed moments after, then another before the dragon priest could recover, followed by still another, then another...

Then with an inhuman shriek, Vokun dropped to the floor and burst into flames as he crumbled into a pile of ash.

Farkas just stared as Duna stood from her crouched position, still glowing with the gold magic from her healing spell. His pulse slowly returned to normal as he realized she was actually alive... he wasn't sure if he wanted to hug her, or scold her for being so reckless... before he even realized it, he had walked over to her. She was also still catching her breath, and he could smell her adrenaline beginning to dissipate. She looked up at him with a little bit of a start, but not fear. He put a shaky hand on her shoulder, he had to convince himself she really was alive. When she didn't pull away from him, he pulled her to his chest and hugged her.

"You scared me," he said in almost a growl with his chin against her helmet.

"I... I'm sorry," she sighed, slowly relaxing into the hug. She put her arms around his middle and his wolf spirit growled contentedly in his chest. She sounded and smelled like she was calming down now, but he still didn't know what had upset her.

"What's wrong?" He asked gently.

Duna gave a deep sigh and hugged him a little tighter, and her pulse began to sound nervous again. "Nothing," she mumbled, "I got a stupid idea, and I was just in a hurry to get out of here. I'm sorry."

Farkas could hear pretty clearly that the 'nothing' part wasn't true... something had upset her, but she didn't want to tell him what...

"We good now?" He asked hopefully.

Duna took a deep breath before answering...

"Yeah," she nodded, slowly letting her arms fall and pulling back to look up at him.

Farkas's heart skipped as he looked down into her eyes... his arms still loosely around her... he glanced to her lips and heard her pulse spike as well...

But before Farkas could decide to kiss her, she ducked her head, letting her helmet thunk lightly against his steel chest plate, and Anska walked in a moment later.

"Let's get out of here," Duna said quietly.

"Lead on then," Farkas said with quiet sigh as he let her pull away from him.


	20. Clarifications and Midnight Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a few more tags. I’ll continue adding as I get to new situations and characters.

Farkas followed slowly as Duna and Anska made their way to the next room. His wolf spirit wasn't happy with how he'd let her pull away from him, so he needed to take a few moments to control himself.

Duna had collected the mask and the staff from the ashes of Vokun. The mask would be useful for her to hide her face while they were on the road, but her gear pack was reaching the limit on its enchantment, so she'd asked Farkas to carry the staff. Initially he'd been thinking he'd just carry it for her until they got somewhere they could sell it... but holding the staff in his hands... remembering the powerful attacks the dragon priest had made with it had him wondering...

It was a wooden staff covered in gold, and the top was carved in the shape of a dragon's head. It felt warm in his hands. He wondered if he could use it... he didn't know anything about magic, but this just felt like a weapon... he was pretty sure Vilkas would disapprove, but Farkas was curious. He pointed the staff experimentally down the empty corridor they'd just come from and a massive fireball shot from the carved dragon's mouth and engulfed the whole hallway in a fiery explosion. Farkas blinked a few times... he'd just thrown a fireball... this staff, he decided, might just be a very useful thing. He waved it around a few times, trying to figure out how it worked before he stashed it in his own enchanted pack and hurried after Duna and Anska. He found them in the next room, Anska had her scroll, and Duna appeared to have just learned a new word of power from another word wall.

"We going?" He asked as Duna turned to him.

"Yeah," she nodded, "pretty sure I found what our mysterious 'friend' sent us to find," she added, nodding her head back toward the wall. "And Anska has her scroll. It's is encrypted and she can't read though," Duna said a moment later, looking back to the Nord mage in fur armor. Farkas noticed Duna seemed much less irritable now.

Then he turned to see Anska was entirely absorbed in trying to read a large and ancient looking scroll. She reminded him of Vilkas again... the way her brow furrowed in concentration...

Now that there were no more draugr to worry about, Farkas turned his attention back to why this strange woman seemed familiar to him... she said she was of the bloodline of Ysgramor... if that was true the Companions would be interested to see that scroll...

Then he heard Duna begin shuffling through her pack. He turned back to Duna as she pulled the dragon priest's mask over her face. Since Vokun had been dead for centuries and then died with a burst of fire, the magical mask and attached leather hood didn't have the disgusting smell that the last hood she'd tried on had had. Farkas didn't like that he couldn't read her expression as she looked back at him through the eye slits of the steel mask, but at least she definitely wouldn't be recognized by her father's bounty hunters.

"Ready to go when you are," she said quietly.

Farkas nodded and looked back to Anska, he didn't have time to figure her out right now.

"If that scroll's what you thought it'd be," Farkas began, taking a few steps forward, speaking loudly, just like he would to get Vilkas's attention when he was absorbed in something he was reading... "the Companions would be interested in that. My brother might even be able to help you read it. You should go to Jorrvaskr in Whiterun and show it to them," Farkas suggested. Anska looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh... thank you," she said, wide-eyed as she processed what he was saying. "I... I might do that."

"Good," Farkas nodded, "maybe we'll see you at Jorrvaskr then."

"Maybe," Anska nodded and smiled.

Duna waved and turned for the exit and Farkas followed.

It was twilight by the time they got back outside. They found their horses still contentedly grazing where they'd left them. Farkas noted they must have originally been the military horses, those were usually the only ones trained that well.

"I was hoping to get out of there with enough time to make it to an inn," Duna commented looking up at the sky. Her voice sounded disappointed. "How comfortable are you riding in the dark?" She asked uncertainly.

"I can see fine in the dark," Farkas shrugged.

"Oh good," Duna sighed, "I'd really rather not sleep in this mask, but I don't want to be out in the open without it." She pulled out her map and Farkas leaned over her shoulder again to look.

"Should be able to make it to Morthal before too late," Farkas commented.

"Yeah, but do you really want to go back and listen to that bard?" Duna replied, and Farkas could tell from her tone that she was raising her eyebrow at him.

"If he's still playin' by the time we get there I'll steal his lute," Farkas chuckled with a shrug. He heard Duna give a chuckle at that as well.

"Alright, lets go," she sounded like she was smiling. He was relieved to notice her anger from earlier that day seemed to be gone now.

They saddled their horses and Farkas gave Duna a leg up into the saddle. She had gotten fairly good at riding, but she was short enough to want help climbing on to such a large animal.

They had to steer their horses around some marshes and avoid some mud crabs on a few occasions, but aside from that the trip was peaceful. Duna pulled out a few of their trail rations and they ate dinner as they rode. She let Farkas take the lead since he could see better than she could, especially with her mask pulled up haphazardly so she could eat. They made it to Morthal by about midnight.

The innkeeper greeted them sleepily and didn't bat an eye at Duna's request for a room with two beds. To their relief, Lurbuk had already gone to bed.

Once in their room Duna took her mask off with a sigh of obvious relief.

"This thing is going to take some getting used to," she grumbled, rubbing her face. Farkas just smiled at seeing her face again.

Duna put the mask down with another sigh and grabbed her gear pack. She made a quick trip to the washroom and came back as Farkas was in the middle of writing another letter.

"Letter to Vilkas?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "figured I should explain why I told Anska to go to Jorrvaskr, in case she actually does."

"They won't just assume you invite everyone to Jorrvaskr?" Duna asked. Her voice was teasing, but Farkas noticed her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Farkas gave a soft chuckle, "I don't."

Duna raised an eyebrow skeptically at him.

"I didn't invite her to be a Companion," Farkas pointed out, "I just thought we should know more about the bloodline of Ysgramor."

"Oh," Duna said in a small voice.

"And besides that..." Farkas trailed off for a moment... trying to think how to explain why Anska had caught his attention... "Anska seemed... familiar somehow."

Duna cocked an eyebrow at him thoughtfully and Farkas looked back at what he'd written already to Vilkas...

"...Like I should know who she is, but I don't..."

"Oh..." Duna said quietly, the hints of irritation were gone from her voice, and she looked thoughtful. "Maybe she came to Jorrvaskr once looking for information on Ysgramor?" She suggested.

"Maybe," he nodded, still thinking...

"Or one of her relatives," Duna pointed out a moment later.

"That could have been it," Farkas nodded, remembering how he'd expected her eye color to be different when he first saw her... it didn't account for why she'd reminded him of Vilkas, but maybe that was just because she was reading so intently.

Duna stayed looking lost in thought for several moments before she sighed, "I feel like I should be remembering something, but I'm just too tired."

"Same," Farkas nodded with a gentle smile.

"Maybe I'll be able to think of it tomorrow," Duna added as she sat on her bed and pulled out her journal. For a few minutes they just settled into a comfortable silence as they both wrote. Then Farkas finished his letter and went for a quick cleanup in the washroom.

Duna was sitting on her bed, flipping through her journal when he came back. He heard her pulse kick up as he opened the door, and she slowly closed her journal as she looked up at him. She smelled nervous again.

"Farkas?" She began hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Farkas looked at her attentively.

"Why..." she paused and took a breath, seeming to debate her question for a moment before looking back up at him and asking, "why do you call me 'little rabbit'?"

"Don't know," Farkas shrugged, as he set his things down beside his bed. He wondered why she was asking all of a sudden... and why she was so nervous. "Rabbits are cute," he said without really thinking, "and small, and fast, and quiet..." he added, turning to his bag, trying to hide the blush he could feel creeping up his face, "and they jump, and they're good at hiding..." He sat down on his bed and began to take his shoes off.

'..._and delicious_...' his wolf spirit hummed in his head, and suddenly Farkas's mind was filled with thoughts of kissing her... her lips... her neck... her breasts... her stomach... her hips... her...

Farkas took a deep breath and silently forced his wolf spirit back into submission.

"It was just the first thing I thought when I saw you," he concluded with another shrug, looking back over his shoulder at her.

"So... not because I'm small and weak?" She asked in a small voice. She was looking down now, still seeming nervous.

"No," Farkas answered gently turning back to face her. "People under estimate rabbits, like Aela underestimated you." Farkas slowly pulled his shirt off, making sure to hide his smirk as he heard Duna's breath quietly catch in her throat. "Once when I was a kid," he began a little sheepishly, "I tried to catch a rabbit for a pet," he smiled a little as Duna cocked her head at him curiously. "I didn't realize something so small and cute would have little sharp claws on those strong back legs..." Farkas pointed out three small thin scars that were barely visible along his stomach and Duna just looked at him in surprise. "It kicked off and cut me good and got away. It was the first time I had to take a healing potion. Vilkas teased me for years," he added with a chuckle. Duna laughed a little too.

"Ok," she said a moment later, "then I don't mind _you_ calling me that," she said, as she began to settle into her bed. She looked like she was about to say something, but stopped and propped up on her elbow, looking at him thoughtfully. Farkas distinctly noticed her eyes trailing across his torso... his heart began to pick up speed and he stood just a little straighter so she could see him better.

"Can... can I ask what happened there?" She asked pointing to a more noticeable scar that ran along the side of his stomach. Farkas smiled.

"Hunting trip when we were whelps, took a bear claw to protect Vilkas," he explained, "then he jumped over me and took the thing's head clean off."

Duna nodded, clearly impressed.

"What about there?" She asked a moment later, pointing to an arrowhead scar on his left shoulder.

"Took an arrow covering for Aela in a bandit fight."

Farkas couldn't help but smirk as she continued to looked across his chest. He turned and pointed out a few more scars on his sides and back and enjoyed the awed look on Duna's face as he told her how he'd gotten each one. He’d never realized how many of his scars were from protecting his shield-siblings...

Then, after a few stories, she cocked her eyebrow curiously and asked, "what about that one?" And she gestured to her own forehead, just above her eyebrow... Farkas knew what scar she meant... it was a thin but jagged line that ran from his forehead to his cheek... his warpaint frequently ran into it and accentuated it. Vilkas had one just like it...

Farkas took a deep breath... "Don't know," he shrugged, "Vilkas and I both had them when our father found us..."

"When he found you?" Duna's brow furrowed in confusion and curiosity.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded, "don't really like thinking about it," he added, to explain why he hadn't already told her this, "but he rescued us from a bunch of necromancers."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Duna said quietly, "you don't have to tell me..."

"It's alright," Farkas shrugged, "not much else to tell. I don't remember much about it. We were real young... Jergen brought us back to Jorrvaskr and adopted us... been there ever since."

"H-how old were you?" Duna asked, wide-eyed.

"Don't really know that either," Farkas replied, and he just had to chuckle a little. "Tilma thought we were about three or four years old, we've been guessing our age our whole lives just based on how long we've been at Jorrvaskr."

She looked like she wanted to ask something else but was hesitant... Farkas could still hear her pulse pounding nervously...

"It's ok," he assured her a moment later, "I wouldn't talk about it if I didn't want to."

She nodded slowly. "So... you don't know how you got there? With the necromancers, I mean..."

"No," Farkas shook his head, "my earliest memory is in a cage with my brother."

"That's awful!" Duna gasped.

"It was," Farkas shrugged, "turned out alright though." He smiled a little as Duna looked at him in confusion at that. "We ended up the youngest Companions to ever join, we got a family that taught us to be strong and honorable, and now I get to help you save the world."

Duna blushed a little and smiled. "You really don't mind traipsing aimlessly across Skyrim with me?" She asked in disbelief, “even with my father sending people after me?”

"Nah," Farkas grinned, "it gets boring around Jorrvaskr sometimes, more fun to be out doing stuff. Besides, I can’t let them take you back to that elf... I’d miss you... and the world might end..." Farkas did his best to sound calm and nonchalant as he admitted that.

Duna giggled quietly and looked down, still blushing, "thank you... I'm glad... and... I... I’d miss you too." She blushed a bit more and looked like she was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a yawn. "I... I guess, in the morning," she continued a moment later, "we can head back to Riverwood... see if Delphine's back..."

"Alright," Farkas nodded.

"Hopefully we don't get woken up by that bard..." she added.

"Hopefully," Farkas chuckled as Duna lay back down and finished settling into bed.

"Goodnight," she said quietly.

"Goodnight, little rabbit," Farkas smiled as he blew out the lantern and settled into his own bed.


	21. Delphine’s Plan

The next morning they were, in fact, woken by the out of tune strumming of Lurbuk's lute. "Why?" Farkas groaned, rolling over in bed and clapping his hands over his ears. He'd been having such a nice dream...

"Want to eat breakfast while we ride?" Duna asked, sitting up and looking over at him with a sympathetic smirk.

"Yeah," he grumbled, climbing out of bed and grabbing his armor. Farkas usually enjoyed the heightened senses the wolf spirit gave him, but at the moment he wished he couldn't hear every off key strum of that damned lute. "How did he get that thing so out of tune so quickly?" He wondered.

Duna just shook her head as she got up and pulled the steel mask over her face before she took her leather armor to the washroom to get ready. To Farkas's relief they were out the door only a few minutes later. The stable hands groomed and saddled their horses, and they were on the road for Riverwood mercifully quickly.

They made it by late afternoon and the stable hands looked a little startled to see their horses, but no one made any comment on the matter. Even so, it had Farkas on high alert on their way into town. They reached the inn to find that Delphine was waiting for them.

"I don't think you were followed," she said quietly motioning them toward her room.

"We weren't," Farkas replied quietly, more to Duna than Delphine.

"Come on," Delphine nodded, "I have a plan."

They followed her back down into her secret room and Farkas continued to make sure no followed them.

"I've figured out how we're going to get you into the Thalmor Embassy," Delphine said, turning to Duna once they were securely downstairs.

"That didn't take long," Duna commented in surprise.

"I've been doing this a long time, remember?" Delphine replied, sounding a bit proud of herself. "While the Thalmor's been looking for me, I've been watching them."

"So what's your plan?" Duna asked with a resigned sigh. "How do we infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy?"

"Well, for starters, _we_ don't. _You_ are going to be the one going in..."

"Great," Duna nodded sarcastically, "go on..."

"The Thalmor ambassador, Elenwen, regularly throws parties where the rich and connected cozy up to the Thalmor," Delphine explained. "I can get you into one of those parties. Once you're inside the Embassy, you get away and find Elenwen's secret files. I have a contact inside the Embassy. He's not up for this kind of high-risk mission, but he can help you. His name's Malborn. Wood elf, plenty of reason to hate the Thalmor. You can trust him. I'll get word for him to meet you in Solitude, at the Winking Skeever -- you know it?"

"No," Duna shrugged sounding a little exasperated.

"I know it," Farkas commented reassuringly. "Ok," Delphine nodded, "while you're doing that, I'll work on getting you an invitation to Elenwen's little party. Meet me at the Solitude stables after you've arranged things with Malborn. Any questions?"

"Am I going in alone or are you getting an invitation for both of us?" Duna asked looking back to Farkas.

"I'll... _try_ to get two..." Delphine said uneasily looking at Farkas, "but you might be going in alone... that's not a problem, is it?"

"Probably not..." Duna grumbled. Farkas resisted the urge to argue... he didn't like the sound of this plan when he thought he'd be going with her... he really wasn't happy about the idea of her going in alone.

Duna asked a few more questions about this contact of Delphine's and then about what she should expect at the party.

Then Duna told her they'd leave in the morning and asked for a room with two beds. To Farkas's surprise, Delphine didn't charge them.

As Farkas and Duna sat down for dinner back upstairs in the main hall. A courier came inside and did a double-take in their direction before approaching.

"Been looking for you," the man said as he dug through his satchel. "Letter from home I believe," the man said handing Farkas an envelope. Farkas immediately recognized Vilkas's handwriting on the outside.

Farkas nodded his thanks and pulled his most recent letter to Vilkas out along with a gold piece.

Once the courier was on his way again, Farkas eagerly opened the letter from Vilkas.

_Dear Farkas,_

_It was good to get your letter. I know the innkeeper you're talking about, and I definitely didn't expect that. I recall Jergen telling us stories about the Blades, but I didn't realize there were any around anymore._

_Alduin raising other dragons from the dead is definitely a concerning concept. I'm glad you put at least one of them back down._

_Also, please tell me you've gotten Duna a mask or at least a hood of some sort now. That was exactly the kind of thing I've been worried about!_

_As for things around here... Ysmir's beard brother, I wish you could have been here to see what happened with that basket on Skjor's door. It didn't land on Skjor... it caught Aela!_

_I haven't laughed that hard since we were children. I'm afraid I'm not as good as you are at pretending to be oblivious. They might have a guess I had something to do with it, but I think I convinced them I just lost my laundry basket to a random prankster._

_Beyond that, ever since you left with _your_ Dragonborn, everyone else at Jorrvaskr seems to suddenly be turning into love struck pups. And I'm not exaggerating!_

_Aela and Skjor have been even _less_ discrete lately, if you can believe that._

_Njada and Athis still keep up the appearance of being at each other's throats, but they both smell like sex. I think the only ones they're fooling are Ria and Torvar._

_And, speaking of those two, ever since you left, I've been training Torvar along with Ria. Torvar couldn't hide his feelings for the woman if he were sober, and you know how often that happens. I know Ria fancies him too, he's just too much of a drunk to figure it out, and she's too shy to bring it up. I keep hoping they'll go the honorable route with an amulet of Mara, but I'm expecting a drunk night to end with both of them in a bed somewhere first._

_So much for the previous Harbingers' advice of 'romantic interests are distracting and therefore not advised.'_

_I never thought I was the sentimental type, but being the only person here without a prospective love is actually getting depressing. I might actually get into pulling pranks like you did just for the distraction._

_I look forward to hearing of your next slain dragon._

_Love_

_Vilkas_

Farkas chuckled as he folded the letter back up and put it in his pocket. He told Duna about the basket prank he'd talked Vilkas into pulling. She got a good laugh out of it too. Then he told her about Skjor and Aela, and Athis and Njada, and then of Vilkas's speculations on Torvar and Ria. Farkas was careful to leave out Vilkas's comment calling Duna _his_ Dragonborn...

Duna was more surprised to learn that Skjor and Aela had been trying to keep up the facade of not being together than she was to hear that they were, in fact... involved. Njada and Athis was a surprise to both of them, but they both agreed that Vilkas was probably right about Ria and Torvar.

Farkas enjoyed the easy way they conversed, and as they made their way to their room they continued conversing. When Farkas came back from the washroom, Duna put her journal down and they talked late into the night. Duna seemed to thoroughly enjoy helping him come up with new prank suggestions for whenever they returned to Jorrvaskr.

They set out the next morning for Solitude. With the prospect of having to camp on the way, Duna stopped and bought a tent. Farkas had typically thought tents were a waste of time and effort, but he understood Duna would want to have somewhere private to take her mask off at night.

The ride to Solitude took two days, and Farkas was disappointed that they didn't get a lot of opportunity to talk. He realized, a little startled, that while he'd never been one to enjoy just sitting around talking, he craved exactly that with Duna... after the nights they'd had of simple, comfortable conversation, he found he wanted more opportunities for her to just sit back and tell him stories from her childhood... to see the enthralled look on her face while she listened to his stories...

They did talk a bit each night when they made camp, but he still missed seeing her face. He knew why the mask was necessary, he didn't want to get confused for her kidnapper again, but he still wished he could see her face.

Her tent was only big enough for one bedroll, so Farkas slept right outside of the tent. It was still early Hearthfire, and the weather was plenty comfortable, especially for a Nord. But that didn't stop him from laying in his bedroll each night and imagining the appealing scenario of being invited inside once it got colder... thoughts of Duna wearing very little -or nothing at all- snuggled happily to his bare chest with his arms around her... gods how he wanted that...

He couldn't decide if he was excited or disappointed when she made the comment that she'd need to get a bigger tent before winter. It was a clear indication that she'd let him share the tent with her, but a larger tent would mean they wouldn't need to share a bedroll.

Toward the end of the trip, Farkas also realized he was growing rather attached to his horse... on several occasions before he'd rented horses for jobs that were too far away to walk in a timely manner, but he'd never had his own horse... he'd noticed Duna seemed even more attached to her animal than he was to his. She'd started calling the mare 'Dapple,' which, while not very original, Farkas thought was adorable. He hadn't given much thought naming his own horse, he'd just been calling him 'Boy,' and then he noticed the animal had started responding to that when he said it, so he figured the name was stuck. Duna had laughed about it, but didn't really tease him. She acknowledged that 'Dapple' was only a slightly better name, and admitted that she hadn't really thought much about it either. She'd simply transitioned from using a description of the horse to calling the horse by her description, and hadn't even noticed exactly when she did it. Farkas felt a bit better about naming his horse 'Boy' after that.

They made it to Solitude by mid-morning the day of the Thalmor party.

Farkas's senses were on high alert as they entered the city. There was an execution being held in the main square. Farkas sensed Duna tense uncomfortably as the man's crimes were read... he was a traitor to the empire...

"Please," Duna whispered, "I don't want to see this."

"Alright," Farkas nodded, turning to lead her to the Winking Skeever. This wasn't their business and Farkas agreed with Duna, they didn't need to see it. Duna's nervous pulse reminded him that she had nearly been unjustly executed by the empire. At least it sounded like this man had actually been tried and found guilty... although the protests of the man's niece made Farkas wonder.

The Winking Skeever was a bit of a relief. It had been a while since Farkas had last been to Solitude, but the inn was exactly as he'd remembered. Duna was able to follow the directions Delphine had given her to find the wood elf who'd be helping them smuggle things into the embassy.

Farkas wasn't impressed with Malborn... he was a whiny wood elf who was entirely unimpressed with Duna.

But even so, Farkas had to admit Malborn was prepared. He had an extra enchanted gear pack to smuggle anything Duna wanted into the embassy. Farkas just stood by and watched as Duna opened her own gear pack and pulled her bow and quiver of arrows from her back. She gave him her sword, her bow, and several potions, and then she gave him a steel great sword, just in case Delphine had managed to get an invitation for Farkas.

Then, Malborn was off on his way to the embassy and Farkas followed Duna off toward the stables.

Delphine was waiting for them.

"Have you given Malborn the gear you want to smuggle into the embassy?" Delphine hissed nervously as they approached.

"Malborn's all set," Duna nodded.

"Good. I have your invitation to the party. I was only able to get one I'm afraid..."

"I expected as much," Duna grumbled in resignation. Farkas made no effort to hide his sigh of disappointment.

"Sorry," Delphine replied, sounding mostly sincere. "Now, the only way you're going to get past the guards is if they really believe you're an invited guest. Which means you need to look the part, and not be armed to the teeth. Here, put this on."

Delphine handed her a folded stack of what smelled like new, very finely woven cotton and suede...

Duna went to the stables and hid behind a stall to change. When she came back Farkas couldn't help but stare. It was a blue-grey colored dress with a leaf design at the chest and a blue pearl at the neck, and a dark brown suede over coat that was trimmed with gold. The belt around the waist made the whole outfit hug her curves in an understated, elegant way... it left plenty to the imagination, but it showed her figure off better than armor did... she easily looked the part of 'rich and connected.'

"Hmm... I guess that will have to do," Delphine sighed as Duna brushed out her hair and put on her boots.

Farkas almost scoffed... 'have to do'... Duna was stunning... he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"You should pass for a real guest, at least until you open your mouth," Delphine continued.

Duna rolled her eyes and said,

"I think I can manage a Thalmor party." Then she turned back to Farkas and handed him her gear pack with all of the extra things she couldn't take into the embassy. Farkas strapped her pack onto his own belt and looked back up at Duna, letting his concern show plainly on his face. He wanted to hug and kiss her goodbye, but he settled for placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Be careful little rabbit," he said quietly.

"Don't worry," Duna smiled back at him, "I've been dealing with Thalmor and fancy parties most of my life." Then she reached up and took his hand from her shoulder and held it for a moment as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Farkas took a deep breath, savoring the brief moment of having her so close and holding her hand... he wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her back, but he knew she needed to be going soon or else she’d arouse suspicion by arriving late. He sighed sadly as he let her pull away from him. "I'll meet you back at the inn in town," she added with her hand still holding his.

"Alright then," Farkas heard himself say. He held her hand a moment longer before he gently let her slip away and she turned and boarded the carriage.


	22. Diplomatic Immunity

Duna's kiss left Farkas's brain in a slight fog, but it quickly began to dissipate as he watched her ride away on the carriage to the Thalmor Embassy. He started to feel sick to his stomach... he was worried. Farkas wasn't exactly surprised that Delphine had only managed to get one invitation, and he wasn't sure how he'd ever convince someone he belonged at a high class party, but he still would have felt better going in with her.

Then his mind ventured back to her kiss... he still wasn't sure if that was a platonic kiss or not, but either way, he hoped she'd make a habit of doing that.

With a sigh, once the carriage was out of sight, he made his way back into town to wait for her at the inn.

Delphine told him she'd meet them back in Riverwood. Farkas gave a grunt and a nod to show that he understood, but continued on his way.

Back at the inn he got a table and an ale and settled himself in to wait. The bard was a woman with white blond hair, and she at least knew how to play her lute... her voice really wasn't bad either.

Farkas tried to relax but he was on edge, listening to every little sound. After a while some guards came in, looking and smelling like they had recently gotten off duty. They were talking about the dragon attack at Kynesgrove... Farkas listened intently while the guards told all who would listen about how a dragon had attacked Kynesgrove, but the Dragonborn of legend had shown up and shouted it out of the sky...

So rumor of the Dragonborn had gotten all the way to Solitude... Farkas smirked a little as he listened.

A little while later one of the female guards approached him.

"You look like a traveler," she commented conversationally, "you heard anything about this dragon in Kynesgrove?"

Farkas considered his answer for a moment before nodding slowly. "I was there," he admitted. That seemed to get everyone's attention.

"You were?" The guard asked excitedly, "did you actually see the Dragonborn? Are the stories true?"

"Yeah," Farkas chuckled, "helped her kill the dragon," he grinned, patting the hammer on his back.

From there several more patrons crowded around asking Farkas what fighting a dragon was like. So he described how the beasts were bigger than most buildings, some breathing fire and some breathing ice, and all of them were decked out in deadly spiked scales, teeth, and claws.

When he finally got free of those questions, the bard approached him...

"So, I couldn't help but overhear..." she began slowly, "you know the Dragonborn?"

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded.

"Would you mind telling me what he's like?" She asked eagerly, "I'm trying to write a new song, and I wanted to tell of the legendary Dragonborn!"

"For starters," Farkas chuckled, "the Dragonborn is a woman."

"Oh..." the bard said in surprise, "well... what's _she_ like?"

Farkas thought for a moment... no one here knew him... there was no reason to pretend to be the that oaf most people back home knew him as...

"She's as beautiful as a clear night sky," Farkas smiled and the bard looked more surprised. "You wouldn't know it just looking at her, but she has the heart of warrior..." Farkas realized that when he wasn't worried about someone realizing he was smarter than he let on, the words came much more easily and eloquently... maybe Vilkas wasn't so much better with words than he was... "her voice can throw a man off his feet or knock a dragon from the sky, just like the ancient Nord legends... and she's honorable, and kind... she loves helping people... she's..."

Farkas was interrupted by a sound of not very distant crashing thunder. Everyone in the inn jumped with a start. Farkas was confused. He hadn't seen or smelled any signs of impending rain earlier in the day... he definitely would have picked up on a storm as big as the one they now heard... it made his wolf spirit uneasy.

"Excuse me," he nodded to the bard, got to his feet, and made for the door. He was sure he caused a bit of a stir at the inn by leaving so suddenly, but he didn't care. He just hoped Duna was ok.

Once outside he could see a small but severe thunderstorm, north of Solitude... in the snowy part of the mountains... directly over the Thalmor Embassy... where a thunderstorm shouldn't naturally form...

Swearing under his breath, Farkas left the city gates and began running north toward the embassy.

Several times the storm began to dissipate only to rage back up moments later. It definitely wasn't a natural storm...

The storm did finally slack up, and by the time Farkas could see the embassy, the sun was shining. But there was smoke coming from the embassy courtyard, and as he got closer, Farkas could smell charred bodies.

He pulled his hammer and ran around toward the side of the embassy grounds. He was thinking he'd vault the courtyard fence and start trying to find Duna's scent, but then he caught a whiff of her scent and paused. Her scent was coming from the back of the grounds... hammer still at the ready, Farkas took off at a sprint toward the scent.

He found her behind the embassy, exiting what smelled like a troll cave. She was wearing a full set of elven armor with her orcish bow at the ready. Malborn was behind her looking a bit roughed up and surprised to be alive, and behind him was a thin, shirtless man in ragged trousers, squinting as he stepped into the sun. The three of them nodded to each other and began to take off in separate directions. Then Duna jumped and raised her bow as she caught sight of Farkas coming around the side of the hill, but then she recognized him.

"Farkas," she sighed in relief. She put her bow back on her back, and Farkas's heart leapt as she ran to him. He put his hammer back in his weapon strap, and he caught her as she jumped into his arms. His heart hammered excitedly as she hugged him.

"Heard the storm and got worried," he said quietly, to explain why he wasn't still waiting for her at the inn.

"That was the shout I picked up at High Gate Ruins," she replied with her forehead against his shoulder. She seemed to be trying to hide her face. "They recognized me," she said quietly, "Aranmen's brother was one of the Thalmor guards, and he knew me immediately. I called the storm down to get away."

"You ok?" Farkas asked gently.

"Yeah," she nodded, "but... I think Erremus survived... he'll definitely be hunting me... we need to get out of here before the Thalmor regroup." She sounded terrified at that thought.

"Alright," Farkas agreed, slowly letting his arms fall as she pulled back, looking up at him with big eyes that made his wolf spirit stir protectively. "Don't worry little rabbit," he said in a quiet, almost-growl, "I won't let anyone touch you."

Her terrified, frantic expression melted into a small appreciative smile and then a slight blush as she looked away. "Thank you," she said quietly. Then she looked up, looking around, "so where exactly are we?"

"North of Solitude, just under the embassy," Farkas replied. "If we go back to get our horses we can easily be in Rorikstead by dark."

"That sounds good," she nodded.

Farkas handed Duna her gear pack and she quickly pulled the steel dragon priest mask out and replaced the elven helmet she'd been wearing before they set off through the snow.

The stable hands were definitely surprised to see them back to pick up their horses after they'd payed to stable the animals for the night, but Duna explained that they'd gotten urgent news and needed to leave suddenly. She told them they needed to be in Winterhold by morning and the stable hands scrambled to get their horses ready to leave immediately. Duna hid her nerves by pretending to excitedly ramble at the stable hands about how she needed to help her sister at the college, and explained that they were in such a hurry because said sister had a deadline, but the courier was delayed so they'd only just found out.

Farkas was impressed. He could still recognize the tells in her pulse that told him it was all a story, but he was sure no one else would have been able to see through her lie. Farkas hoped that would throw the guards off from following them when the Thalmor came asking.

They took the road east until they were out of view, then turned to ride across the hills till they met back up with the south road. Farkas was a little worried the horses would have trouble riding off the road, but neither animal seemed too phased. Dapple had hesitated to step over the stones at the road's edge, but followed without protest when Boy hopped over the stones without a care and continued as Farkas directed.

Just as Farkas had predicted, they made it to Rorikstead shortly after sunset. Duna looked around in the fading light as they rode into town.

"It's about as small as Morthal..." she commented quietly. Farkas was sure he would have been the only one who could have heard her with her mask on. He simply chuckled and nodded.

"Got an inn though," he added a moment later, pointing down the road to the Frostfruit Inn.

They paid to stable their horses for the night, then Farkas followed Duna into the inn. There were a couple patrons inside, an orc and a redguard, but neither paid them any attention as they entered. Duna made her usual request of a room with two beds, and the innkeeper looked a little surprised and concerned, but assured them that would be no problem and asked what they'd have for dinner. Farkas thought it was a little odd that they were having dinner before getting a chance to clean up or put their things down, but it all made sense a few minutes later when they noticed the innkeeper's son dragging a bed into one of the rooms.

"I kind of feel bad now," Duna told him in a hissed whisper through her mask.

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed. He thought about telling her he wouldn't have minded sharing a bed with her, but he didn't feel quite that brave. He didn't want Duna to get uncomfortable with him again.

Dinner was a vegetable stew, which was quite good. Duna grumbled that she needed a hood instead of a mask as she slid the mask up awkwardly so she could eat. Farkas resisted the urge to chuckle at her, he thought it looked rather ridiculous, but he certainly didn't want her taking the mask off with other people in the inn.

They finished their dinner and the innkeeper finally brought them their room key.

"Divines, this one is more cramped than our room in Kynesgrove," Duna muttered under her breath as she opened the door.

Farkas looked over her shoulder and nodded in agreement. There was one nightstand crammed in a corner and the two beds were wedged against each other with a small amount of walk space between each bed and the wall. Farkas wondered if the innkeeper hadn't realized they wanted two beds for decency's sake and not simply so they'd both fit... not that he minded a bit...

"Well it's better than a Thalmor prison wagon," Duna sighed. "I'm just going to take a quick wash, I'll be right back," she added as she turned to head back out the door.

When Farkas got back from his own quick wash to prepare for bed Duna was sitting in her sleeping tunic with a small stack of what looked like journals bound in red leather, reading one of them. She looked up as he came in and quickly put the book down.

"I almost forgot," she said excitedly as she began to rummage through her gear pack, "I got you a present!"

Farkas's heart skipped and he cocked his head curiously at her as she pulled a golden moonstone colored mace from her pack.

"I picked it up from the guard I pulled my armor off of," she explained, "I know it's not a two handed weapon, but it still looked good for bludgeoning... so... I thought of you..." she blushed a little and Farkas grinned as he reached out to take the mace. "I... I won't mind if you still want to use your hammer," she added hastily, "I just... wanted you to have it..."

Farkas could hear her pulse fluttering nervously and it made him grin even more.

"Thank you," he said looking over the weapon appreciatively. It was a nice mace... didn't have the weight he was used to, but it was heavier and felt sturdier than it looked... but mostly, he was just happy she'd thought of him. "I'll find something to try it out on tomorrow," he added, setting it down with his gear, still grinning. "So what else you got?" He asked curiously sitting down on the side of his own bed.

"Just the information I found at the embassy," she replied, gesturing to the four red books. "So far it looks like the Thalmor know nothing about the dragons," Duna grumbled picking up the one she'd been reading when he came in. "They've got info on Delphine though... looks like she's not just crazy, they really are after her..." she tossed that book aside and began flipping through another. "Though... I learned some things about Jarl Ulfric I wasn't expecting..."

She handed Farkas one of the books and he skimmed through it. There were a lot of things he hadn't known about the leader of the rebellion... he hadn't known Ulfric had been a prisoner of war back in the Great War... or that he'd apparently talked... but what bothered him was that even after being released, he'd been considered an 'asset' to the Thalmor... and that the Thalmor wanted to keep the civil war going... Farkas put the journal down with a soft growl when he was done.

"Knew this war was bad for Skyrim," he grumbled.

Duna nodded. "Explains a bit why Ulfric hates the elves so much though," she added a moment later.

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed.

"I wonder," Duna said thoughtfully, "if General Tulius had some idea the Thalmor were going to try and stop Ulfric's execution... if that was why they tried to rush the executions and didn't give any of us a trial..."

"Still doesn't make that ok," Farkas growled. His wolf spirit stirred angrily at the reminder that the imperials had almost executed his little rabbit...

"No, but it makes sense at least," Duna shrugged.

"And I thought this war was confusing before," Farkas grumbled. He was glad the Companions typically didn't deal in politics.

Duna gave a light chuckle and looked lost in thought for several moments. "I don't suppose we could just go show this to Ulfric and convince him to just stop this nonsense..."

"Probably not, but it might be worth a try," Farkas shrugged, he didn't think it would work, but he thought the Jarl of Windhelm should at least know what he was really doing to them... that this war only benefited their enemies...

"Yeah, might give him something to think about at least," she shook her head, "and I suppose we need to bring all of this back to Delphine," Duna sighed, and Farkas nodded. "I kind of want to see her face when I tell her the Thalmor aren't responsible for the dragons," Duna smirked a moment later. Farkas chuckled at that.

"Not surprised," he shrugged, "I didn't think that black dragon we saw at Kynesgrove could be controlled by anyone."

"Me neither," Duna shook her head.

Then, with a yawn, she collected the four books and tucked them into her pack beside the bed. "We can figure out our next move in the morning," she decided. "All I want right now is sleep." She climbed under her blanket and laid back on her pillow.

"Alright then," Farkas nodded. "Goodnight little rabbit."


	23. Nightmare

It took Farkas a while to fall asleep. They weren't sharing a bed, but the beds were so close together it seemed like they practically were. He could hear and smell Duna so easily... the only real difference was their separate blankets... there was just a tiny gap between the mattresses where bed frames touched.

Farkas liked being so close to her, but he was a little worried about how insistent his wolf spirit was becoming... the things the wolf spirit wanted...

Farkas wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her... to make her feel warm and secure and loved... to protect her from everything...

The wolf spirit wanted... much more...

As he lay beside her, Farkas was a little startled to realize this was the first time his wolf spirit had ever settled so firmly on a choice of mate. He wanted this woman in every sense of the word... and Farkas didn't disagree... but he wanted to earn her trust, then friendship, and then her love and affection. He wanted to be an honorable man, to take the time to fall in love, not to be a beast that claims his mate based on instinct and lust.

It felt strange to agree with his wolf spirit on something, but then entirely disagree on what to do about it...

With a deep breath, Farkas forced the beast blood to be quiet so he could try and get some sleep.

When he finally did sleep it was restless, and then he was woken in the middle of the night to the sound of Duna tossing and turning in the bed beside his.

"What's wrong?" He grumbled a little blearily as he sat up. She didn't respond, but began to turn about more frantically and Farkas realized she must be having a nightmare. He contemplated for a moment if he should wake her... he'd learned the hard way when he was a kid that sometimes it was kinder to let someone sleep through a nightmare, because then they might not remember it in the morning...

But then her tossing and turning became frantic thrashing, and she began to mutter... it was mostly incomprehensible, there were several 'no's and at least once he heard 'not going back' but then she cried out, very distinctly, in a terrified voice, "Farkas!!!"

Farkas immediately reached over to her and began gently trying to wake her.

"Duna," he called gently but urgently, "Duna, I'm here, wake up!"

Then he realized she was thrashing as if she were fighting restraints, so he let her go and pulled her blankets back.

"Duna," he called again, "Duna, little rabbit, wake up!"

After a few moments of Farkas calling her name, she suddenly sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. She looked around frantically for a few moments before her eyes fell on him, and he heard her pulse and breathing begin to steady back out as she looked to be remembering where she was.

"Farkas," she sighed in relief.

"I'm here," he said in a gentle, low tone. He reached over tentatively to put a hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. "You're safe," he added, "I'm not gonna let anyone take you..." he'd almost said 'I'm not gonna let anyone take you _away from me_,' but he'd caught himself. Duna, to his relief, did actually seem to be comforted by this and gave him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, sounding embarrassed.

"Don't be," Farkas said with a gentle smile. "Just glad I could help."

Duna smiled, shifted forward on her knees, and leaned in to give him a hug. Farkas wrapped his arms around her as well, hoping it wasn't obvious how much he'd been wanting to do that. He was wearing his usual sleep attire, which meant he was bare-chested, but Duna didn't seem to care. Her sleeping tunic was soft, loose fitting and thin... realizing that thin fabric was the only thing between them was making Farkas's heart race, and his wolf spirit stirred excitedly yet again.

"Thank you," she whispered appreciatively with her head against his chest. Farkas just held her a little tighter in response. He could feel her breath on his skin and it sent a pleasant shudder, that was very difficult to conceal, across his whole body. Farkas was pretty sure if she paid attention she'd be able to hear his pounding heart, but he didn't mind... he just wanted to keep her in his arms as long as she'd let him.

"I... I dreamed I was back at the embassy," she whispered, " they caught me, and I had no weapons, and none of my shouts worked... and then... they caught you... and..." she trailed off with a shudder and Farkas's heart pounded a little harder.

"It's ok," he said gently. He settled his chin gently on top of her head and began rubbing slow circles between her shoulder blades and she slowly began to relax.

To Farkas's satisfaction, they stayed there, just like that, for several minutes. Her pulse rate and adrenaline levels that had both been up from her nightmare steadily began to calm. Farkas couldn't help but smile... this... this was exactly what he wanted right now: simply for her to feel safe in his arms.

"Farkas?" She spoke up softly once her adrenaline was gone.

"Mmm?" He hummed.

"I..." she took a deep breath and began sounding a little nervous, "d-do you remember, after my trial, when... I said I wanted to trust you and the other Companions, but I needed time?" She turned her head gently to look up at him and he let her pull back slightly so he could see her nervous expression.

"Yeah?" He answered hopefully.

"Well... I... I don't know... if I'll ever be able to really trust Skjor and Aela," she admitted nervously, "and... I still need time, but I think I'll get there with Vilkas and Kodlak," she added, sounding a little more nervous, "but you... I..." she looked back down and took another deep breath, "I trust you," she said at last.

Farkas's heart skipped and his face broke into a big grin.

"I'm glad," he said warmly.

"Really, you're... you're the best friend I've ever had," she added, sounding a little embarrassed.

At that Farkas pulled her back to his chest and kissed the top of her head as he hugged her. To his relief, she wrapped her arms back around him and relaxed into the hug for a moment. Farkas sighed contentedly, just breathing in her scent... her scent that was steadily becoming stronger and more enticing to him...

But then the moment ended. He felt Duna tense suddenly and he wondered if she'd just realized he was shirtless. She slowly pulled away, with a red blush across her face, not meeting his eyes.

It took all of his self control to actually let her pull away from him... she smelled so good... her scent just made him want her more... he realized it might be best that she'd pulled away...

"Divines, a man I've known for a month is the best friend I've ever had," she grumbled hiding her face in her hands as she sat on the opposite end of her own bed, "you must think I'm some kind of pathetic."

Farkas's mind blanked... had he really only known her a month? It felt like longer than that... she sounded embarrassed... was she embarrassed because she'd hugged him, or because of what she'd just told him?

Farkas didn't want her to be embarrassed by either of those... she was the first person beyond Vilkas and Kodlak who'd actually taken the time to understand him... it may have only been a month, but they'd been through a lot together in that month... Farkas realized, aside from his brother, she was his best friend too. She listened to him, she cared about him, she thought of him when she made or collected new gear... and she asked for his input... she didn't think he was stupid...

Then the second part of what she'd just said actually sank in...

"You're not pathetic," he assured her. "You figured me out better in one moth than most people have in years. You're a good friend, and that means a lot to me." He wanted to crawl across the bed and wrap her in his arms again... she still smelled so tempting...

But then she sighed and stood up. Farkas just watched her, feeling like a confused pup as she turned to give him a gentle smile.

"Thank you Farkas," she whispered genuinely. "I'm going to go to the washroom really quick, then we should go back to sleep."

"Mmhmm," Farkas just nodded as she quietly crept out the door.

Farkas lay back on the bed with a sigh once the door closed. He began mentally trying to will away the arousal that was certain to be visible when Duna came back if he wasn't careful. His wolf spirit was not happy with the notion of being friends, even best friends, but Farkas was. The wolf spirit wanted to mate, but Farkas remembered advice Eorlund had given him and Vilkas when they were young...

'Don't just marry the prettiest woman that will have you, looks fade with age. Marry the woman you can call your friend, the one who's company you enjoy above all the others, that's the one you'll still want when she turns into a sharp-tongued old biddy.'

Farkas smiled. Duna definitely seemed to be in that category... he couldn’t imagine her turning into a sharp-tongued old biddy though.

  
  


Duna came back minutes later and they settled back into their beds.

The next morning Duna was slow to get up. She sat at the edge of her bed for several minutes, just staring at the wall. Farkas watched her curiously as he pulled his shirt on.

"Do we actually have to leave today?" She asked sleepily, still staring at the wall.

Farkas considered thoughtfully, they hadn't taken any time to rest since they left Jorrvaskr, and Duna looked like it was starting to wear on her.

"I mean... no one knows where we are..." she pointed out, "no one's expecting us to be anywhere at a specific time..."

"We can take a day or two to rest," Farkas suggested. He wasn't big on the idea of wasting time in Rorikstead, but he definitely wouldn't mind another night in those beds.

Duna nodded and tucked herself back into the bed while Farkas went to get breakfast.

They spent the entire day lazing about the inn. Duna kept to the room most of the day where she could be without her mask while she read through a few books and spell tomes she'd picked up.

Satisfied she should be safe enough, Farkas found an opportunity to go out back and swing the mace around a little... it swung faster than his hammer...

Then another thought occurred to him and he began rummaging through his gear pack. Vilkas always fussed at him for not cleaning out his gear pack more often, but the enchantment on it made it easy to forget just how much stuff he had... but that came in handy now as Farkas pulled out a large shield that he hadn't seen in years. It looked like a standard wood and steel shield, but it was one that Farkas had made himself, it was the thing that had made Eorland decide he could work the skyforge if he wanted.

Eorland was the only one who knew how good Farkas was at the forge, and Farkas had specifically asked the blacksmith to keep it a secret. He didn't mind forging when he wanted something done, but he didn't have the patience to just make things all day.

This shield was one of his finest creations; it looked like any old shield, but Eorland reckoned it would take twice as much force to break. Farkas had been quickly disappointed to realize he couldn't wield it while also swinging a great sword like Vilkas did... but a mace... he could wield a shield with a mace... He'd been working hard and training with the two handed weapons for so many years, Farkas had actually almost forgotten that one-handed weapons came more naturally to him. The big two-handed weapons had always come naturally to Vilkas, and Farkas hated admitting he found the smaller weapons easier... but did that really matter if he could be more effective? Farkas finally decided a one-handed weapon might not be as weak of a thing as he'd always thought...

By dinner time Duna looked like she felt a lot better. They asked for dinner in their room and the innkeeper awkwardly brought them a pot of stew along with a couple of mugs. Duna was just happy to be able to eat without her mask on, so she made no complaint about drinking stew from a mug while sitting on her bed.

She asked Farkas what he'd done while he was out, and Farkas couldn't help but grin at how excited she seemed when he told her he'd given the mace a try. Then she told him about the spells she'd learned and the books she'd read.

Farkas wasn't sure he liked the idea of a spell that summoned something to fight along side her... it sounded too much like necromancy to him... his discomfort must have shown on his face because Duna stopped in the middle of her explanation of the next spell and asked,

"What's wrong?"

"It conjures something _how_?" He asked uncomfortably, "like, from the dead?"

"Oh..." Duna said, looking back to the spell tome, "no... as far as I can tell it summons something like an atronach, not a spirit..." she looked up at him in concern. "It's a conjugation spell, not necromancy," she explained. Farkas didn't know what the difference was, all he knew was he didn't like necromancers. Duna's expression softened as she watched him trying to make sense of that. "Farkas," she said gently, "if it will make you uncomfortable, I won't use that spell."

"Thank you," he nodded. "I don't know what any of that means, I just don't like necromancers..."

"I promise I won't even learn any necromantic spells," Duna replied earnestly.

"I trust you," Farkas smiled in relief. Duna smiled at that as well.

"The other spell I learned... I don't even remember where I found it," she continued, picking up another similar looking spell tome, "it's also conjuration, but this one might be more my style anyway..." she opened the book and flipped through it again. "It conjures a bow and arrows," she explained excitedly, making Farkas cock his head in interest. "If I learn this one properly, I'll never have to worry about running out of arrows or breaking my bow again... as long as I can cast a spell I'll have my weapon."

"Sounds useful," Farkas nodded. He definitely didn't mind the idea of her always having a ready weapon... she'd be safer that way... more effective... and it wasn't the destructive or evil magic the Companions had always been so against, it was literally just insurance that she'd never be unarmed... "I don't mind that one," he added with a smile.

"I'll try that one out tomorrow then," Duna decided.

She put her tomes and books away and they finished dinner.

Farkas was happy to spend another night sleeping in beds so close together that they practically felt like one bed. Duna actually slept soundly through the night. Farkas didn't sleep near so well, but he felt as rested as he ever did by morning.

After breakfast Duna pulled out her map.

"So... the question is," she said thoughtfully looking it over, "do we go back to Delphine first, or to Ulfric first?"

"Riverwood is closer," Farkas shrugged.


	24. Return to Riverwood

They set out for Riverwood, planning to ride south through Falkreath. Duna seemed to be feeling much better after taking the day to rest, the horses seemed happier too.

They stopped for lunch by a small stream just before noon. They were almost to Falkreath, but Duna preferred to stop somewhere quiet where she could take her mask off. Farkas was glad to dismount and let the horses drink anyway. The weather was starting to get chilly in the north, but in the southern parts of Skyrim, it was definitely still summer. As the sun got higher in the sky Farkas had begun to sweat a bit under his steel plates.

As soon as Duna dismounted she pulled her mask off with a sigh of relief. Her face was flushed and her hair was a bit matted with sweat.

"How is it so cold in Solitude, and still so hot here?" She complained as she pulled her boots off to dip her feet in the cool water.

Farkas chuckled. He wanted to take his armor off and join her, but he took a moment to focus and take stock of their surroundings first.

It was a sunny day, with a soft breeze blowing through the tops of the trees... it would have been a lovely day if it weren't just a bit too hot. He could smell birds flitting through the trees... the wet dirt at the stream's edge... a few random butterflies and dragonflies that fluttered and darted through the air around them... nothing caused him or his wolf spirit any concern... and he could hear and smell Duna as she splashed in the cool water.

"It is hot," he agreed, as he began to unstrap his armor.

Duna just nodded as she leaned back on one of the rocks and began trying to turn the hood of her mask inside out. She glanced up at him as he took off the last of his steel.

The soft breeze was much more noticeable blowing through his slightly damp under-tunic.

"That looks like an even better idea," Duna grinned. She set her mask to the side and began undoing the straps on her own armor. Farkas tried not to stare... he'd never seen what she wore under her armor... he knew leather needed less padding than steel... for a brief moment he allowed himself to hope she wore nothing under her armor... but he was pretty sure she wouldn't be taking it off now if that were the case...

The dark grey cotton pants under her leg greaves weren't a surprise to him, he'd seen those before, she periodically swapped them out for brown or tan ones... what he hadn't seen before was the cream colored, sleeveless cotton shirt. It definitely made it more difficult not to stare... it was damp with sweat and clung to her curves... and it hung low enough in the front he could almost see her breast band underneath... it was the first time he'd ever been able to actually see any of her cleavage... gods, he liked everything he saw...

Farkas busied himself getting lunch from the trail rations in his gear pack while he tried to rein in both his wolf spirit and his own growing arousal.

They ate lunch in the shade of the trees by the stream, and after lunch Duna rolled her pants up to more easily splash through the water. Farkas just watched her for several moments as she chased a small fish through the shin-deep clear water. The child-like fascination on her face as the tiny fish darted around her was adorable...

"They not have fish in Cyrodiil?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I'm sure they do," Duna shrugged, "but I was never allowed to leave the general palace area."

"Ah," Farkas understood. Then, with a smirk, he rolled up his own pant legs. "Then you don't know the real fun of these little streams on a hot day," he said as he sloshed into the water with her.

Duna cocked her head curiously at him as he slowly reached his hand into the water... cupped his hand... and splashed a good handful of water, showering Duna with cold water.

"Farkas! That's cold!!" She squealed, and began trying to splash him back.

"That's the idea!" Farkas laughed, splashing her again. Duna squealed and laughed, and they quickly got into a splashing-fight. His larger hands were definitely giving him the advantage and it wasn't long before Duna began running up stream, trying to find a different tactic... making him run after her so he effectively splashed himself as he tried to keep up... but Farkas could run much faster without his armor and with her slowing down as she hit deeper water, he caught up to her much quicker than she anticipated. She screamed with laughter as he caught her around the waist, his large hands brushing across some ticklish spots on her sides.

"Hold your breath," he warned with a wolffish grin as he pulled her into even deeper water.

"What? No!"

She started to squirm in his grasp but Farkas easily lifted her to his chest and he heard her take a deep breath before he plunged them both backwards into the water. He was careful to fall backwards to keep her protected just incase he hadn't noticed any rocks underneath. He only stayed under for a brief moment before kicking back up, a smug grin on his face.

"You ass!" She spluttered as soon as they came back to the surface. For a moment Farkas was afraid she was actually mad, but then she laughed and playfully punched him in the arm, and he laughed too. She reached down and splashed another handful of water in his face, and Farkas laughed again. With his hands still around her waist, Farkas grinned down at her and began to tickle her sides. Duna squealed with laughter and began to squirm in his grasp. Farkas wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her in place while he kept tickling. Duna squealed louder and began kicking, splashing the water. She began reaching around his sides, trying to find similar ticklish spots on him... her hands running across his chest, stomach, and sides did tickle, but it was also incredibly arousing. He shifted to hold her higher so she wouldn't brush against his lap, but she took that as him trying to hide his ticklish spots so she began reaching lower down his sides.

Farkas was just starting to consider listening to his wolf spirit's ideas of distracting her with a kiss, when a sound caught his ear, killing the mood instantly... the rallying howl of hunting pack of wolves. Then he could hear and smell several of them running through the trees, no doubt drawn by the noise they were making.

Farkas swore, firmly stopping their interaction but keeping his one arm firmly around Duna. Duna froze, instantly picking up on Farkas's shift in attention.

Farkas swore again. All of their armor was down stream... along with all their weapons. How could he have gotten them into a situation so stupid? He waded quickly to the opposite bank at set Duna down. Should he transform? Could they run back to their weapons in time?

Thoughts raced through his head as Duna took off at a run back towards their horses and belongings and Farkas followed without hesitation.

There were about six wolves... Farkas would have been more than confident they could defeat six wolves, if they'd had their weapons.

"Divines let this work..." Farkas heard Duna mutter under her breath. Her hands began to glow with a purple light and there was suddenly a glowing, dark purple daedric bow in her right hand, and an arrow appeared in her left.

"Keep going," she called to Farkas as she slowed to take aim at the advancing wolves. By then Farkas could see his armor and gear pack near where they'd been eating and he sprinted to it. He turned back around in time to see Duna shout fire at one wolf, and she had already killed two of the wolves with her conjured arrows. Farkas reached into his pack and grabbed the first weapon handle his hand touched.

A massive fireball shot from the dragon priest's staff, engulfing two of the wolves just as Duna put a dark purple arrow through the throat of the last one.

Farkas just looked at Duna in amazement only find her giving him a similarly surprised look as she walked back to him. Farkas realized she was staring at the staff in his hands and he chuckled a little sheepishly.

"First thing I grabbed," he shrugged.

"That was... effective," she nodded approvingly.

"So were you," Farkas complimented honestly, "was afraid I was gonna have to turn, but that.. that spell... that's a good spell."

"Yeah," Duna agreed quietly looking back down at her now empty hands.

For several moments they just caught their breath. Farkas still needed to force his beast blood to calm back down... Duna was safe... he hadn't needed to transform... but he was still angry at himself for getting them into such a predicament.

"Sorry about that," he sighed, breaking the silence several moments later. She cocked her head at him in confusion for a moment before shaking her head.

"That wasn't your fault," she said. She looked at her feet for a moment and then began fidgeting with her wet undershirt. "I... I shouldn't have run so far... or screamed..." she said quietly with a bright blush spreading up her face. Farkas chuckled in spite of himself... recalling her fidgeting and squirming in his arms... making her squeal with laughter... he grinned slowly.

"Was fun though," he said in a low tone. Duna blushed even more at that but she nodded.

"It was," she smirked. "I... uh... I guess we should get moving if we're going to be in Riverwood by tonight."

"Yeah," Farkas nodded.

Farkas gathered their things and retrieved the horses while Duna collected the wolf pelts. He had been about to point out that they'd be lucky to be in Falkreath by nightfall if she was going to sit and skin six whole wolves, but she explained she actually knew a spell to retrieve the pelts cleanly in a fraction of the time, she'd just been afraid to let him know she could do magic earlier.

By the time Farkas led the horses back to where he'd left her, Duna had finished and was beginning to put her armor back on. Farkas was dry enough by then to get back into his own armor.

As he strapped the last of his plates in place he noticed Duna smirking at him curiously.

"What?" He asked, a smile tugging at his lips as well.

"I'm just surprised your warpaint isn't more messed up," she replied, "it's just smudged, and not even that badly!"

"Ah," Farkas chuckled, "yeah, this stuff takes some pretty good scrubbing to get off, a bit of water splashing isn't gonna do it."

"Someone needs to make makeup like that," she retorted as she turned to Dapple.

Farkas just laughed, but he noticed she didn't seem to have any makeup smudged anywhere on her face... then it occurred to him, he'd never smelled the cosmetics on her like he frequently could on other women... it made sense that her eyelashes were naturally as black as her hair, so it didn't surprise him to realize she wore no eye makeup, but he was slightly awestruck to realize that that lovely shade of light pink across her cheeks was her natural skin tone...

Farkas did his best not to stare even more as he helped her into the saddle.

They finally got back in the road and the rest of their day was uneventful. Things were peaceful as they rode through Falkreath, the guards were still talking about the Greybeards summoning a dragonborn to High Hrothgar. But by the time they got to Riverwood that evening, the guards were a buzz with rumors of the attack on the Thalmor Embassy and the dragon attack in Kynesgrove.

They stabled their horses and Farkas could tell Duna was nervous about the conversations they were overhearing.

"I don't like how quickly gossip spreads around here," she grumbled as they walked toward the inn.

"Always been like that," Farkas shrugged, "they don't sound upset about it at least..." and it was true, so far all the guards had simply sounded in awe of the legendary Dragonborn. Farkas smirked a moment later when they heard one claiming she'd heard that the Dragonborn could shout a thunderstorm into existence.

They walked into the inn and Farkas quickly took stock of the fact there were currently no other patrons. Delphine was at the bar, she did a double take upon recognizing them. Since they were currently the only ones in the inn she didn't bother being discreet as she motioned them to follow and led them back to her downstairs room.

"You made it out alive, at least," Delphine sighed once the door was shut. "Did you learn anything useful?"

"Well..." Duna shrugged as she pulled her mask off, "the Thalmor know nothing about the dragons..."

"Really? That seems hard to believe," Delphine grumbled skeptically. "You're sure about that?"

"Why'd you send me if you weren't going to believe me?" Duna snapped back.

"You're right, you're right," she sighed, shaking her head with her fingers at her temples. Farkas realized Delphine didn't look like she'd slept since she'd left them in Solitude... "I just... I was sure it must have been them. If not the Thalmor, who? Or... what?"

"I don't know," Duna said a little more gently, "but the Thalmor are looking for someone named Esbern..." She pulled out three of the four red books she'd recovered from the embassy.

"Esbern?" Delphine's eyes snapped back open in surprise and hope. "He's alive?"

"The Thalmor at least think he is," Duna replied. She handed Delphine one of the books and she began skimming through it excitedly.

"I thought the Thalmor must have got him years ago. That crazy old man..." Delphine laughed. "Figures the Thalmor would be on his trail, though, if they were trying to find out what's going on with the dragons," she added a little more worriedly.

As the two women discussed what all of this meant and what they should do next, Farkas began focusing more on the sounds and smells of their heartbeats and breathing than exactly what they were saying...

He noticed Delphine seemed genuinely relieved and trusting now. Duna relaxed and seemed to be feeling better about explaining things to Delphine as well.


	25. Ulfric

The women discussed late into the night, eventually deciding that Duna would go to Riften to find this Esbern while Delphine prepared to move to a less obvious hideout.

Once again, Delphine put them up in a room for the night without charge.

Farkas liked the way Duna asked for his opinion on their next destination. They agreed they'd go inform Ulfric Stormcloak what Duna had found at the Thalmor Embassy. Duna seemed pretty convinced that making the Jarl aware that the Thalmor were using him would influence his decisions and possibly help end the war sooner... Farkas wasn't convinced, but he didn't know anything about politics, so he wanted to let her try... he didn't see what harm it could do at least.

Farkas also liked the way Duna closed and locked their door without a second thought once they'd each finished washing and getting ready for bed... the way she was comfortable behind closed doors with him now...

She flopped tiredly onto the bed and closed her eyes. Farkas just stood beside his own bed unable to take his eyes off her. He noticed the way her tunic hung loosely across her curves... her silky black hair splayed out on her pillow... she was so beautiful...

He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest, remembering how she felt in his arms two nights ago, pressed against him in only that thin tunic... remembering how it felt to grip her hips and waist in his hands earlier that day... he wanted to know how she felt in nothing at all... wanted to hold her without fabric between her skin and his hands...

Suddenly her pulse jumped and Farkas realized she'd opened her eyes and caught him staring.

"Wh-what is it?" She asked, slowly propping herself up on her elbows. Farkas could hear her heart pounding and she looked up at him with wide eyes that set his own heart pounding too.

"I... uh..." Farkas stuttered, "just... you... uh......" Farkas shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He had no idea what kind of expression he'd had on his face when she'd opened her eyes... no idea what she thought he'd been thinking... "sorry... uh... just thinking," he said feeling a bit stupid. He could feel his face turning red.

"What about?" She asked cocking her head curiously at him. Farkas didn't trust himself not to be imagining the slight smirk he thought he saw at the corner of her lips.

"Uh... just... uh... it... it's gonna be cold in Windhelm..." he stammered, "you should get something warmer than that before we go."

"Oh," she said with a light chuckle. There was definitely a smirk on her face now. "I've got a few extra things in my pack, not to mention my cloak if it comes to that."

Farkas nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Alright then," he said awkwardly turning back to his pack. He pulled his shirt off and let himself imagine Duna was watching him... that she was looking at him the same way he'd just been admiring her... part of him thought that was unlikely, but it wouldn't stop him from hoping...

He turned back around to find her pulling her journal from her gear pack, but the light flush across her cheeks told him his hope might not be as far fetched as he'd thought...

Duna finished writing and they settled into their respective beds without further incident. Though Farkas did note she was still smiling when she told him goodnight.

The next morning they left for Windhelm. The trip was mostly uneventful, they'd had to kill a few wolves and a saber cat, but those were no problem. Duna's conjured bow was even more effective than her orcish one, and Farkas quickly got the hang of his new mace. They arrived in Windhelm just before sunset.

Windhelm was dusted in a light blanket of snow and, as usual, a frigid wind whipped around them.

"You weren't kidding," Duna grumbled as she wrapped her cloak around her.

"Pretty much always snows here," Farkas nodded as Duna hurried through the cobblestone streets.

As they entered the Palace of the Kings, Farkas stayed close behind Duna. She walked confidently into the throne room, the only hint she was uneasy was that Farkas could hear the nervous pace of her heartbeat.

Jarl Ulfric was arguing with his housecarl when they arrived, but both men paused turning their attention to the two of them as they entered.

"Either you're quite brave or quite foolish to brazenly approach a Jarl unsummoned," Ulfric Stormcloak warned. "Do I know you?" He asked suspiciously. Duna responded by pulling her mask off and the Jarl's eyes went wide with recognition. "Ahhh... it's you... and what brings the Dragonborn to my palace?"

Farkas wasn't sure he liked the way Ulfric smirked as he looked at her.

"I've stumbled upon some information I thought you should be aware of, my Jarl," Duna answered with a polite bow.

"Oh, what's this?" Ulfric said curiously as Duna stepped forward and handed him the red leather bound book.

They stood quietly for several minutes as Ulfric read through its contents, his expression steadily darkening as he read.

"Where did you get this?" The Jarl asked angrily.

"The secret files in the Thalmor Embassy," Duna answered with a hint of pride in her voice.

"And who have you shared this information with?" He asked, returning to his warning tone.

"No one, my Jarl," she replied calmly in a polite tone that sounded way too appeasing and submissive for Farkas's liking.

Ulfric took a moment to study her, looking her up and down with a critical eye. Farkas was steadily becoming less and less comfortable with this interaction.

"So the rumors the men tell me are true then?" He said sounding a little more impressed, "you single-handedly attacked the embassy?"

"More infiltrated than attacked," Duna answered modestly, but she still had a proud smirk on her face.

"I heard you destroyed the courtyard and wiped out the entire regimen of Thalmor guards..." Ulfric responded. He was still smirking and Farkas resisted the urge to growl possessively.

"I did," Duna nodded.

"The men are calling you 'Stormcaller,'" Ulfric said, sounding impressed, "they say you literally shouted a thunderstorm down from the sky."

"Also true," Duna said with another nod. Farkas was starting to wonder where this conversation was going. He could hear Duna's pulse still sounded nervous, but she was doing a good job of putting on a confident face.

"I hear they're also calling you... Lady Celeste of the Septim House..."

Farkas tensed immediately as he heard Duna's heart skip as she tried not to let panic show on her face. The Jarl regarded her with an almost predatory smirk and looked as if he thought he had just backed her into a corner, but Duna regained her composure quickly.

"You are well informed, my Jarl," she said with a forced calm smile. "I left my father's house and faked my kidnapping to escape an arranged marriage," she explained, still forcing herself to sound confident.

Ulfric chuckled. "Don't worry, after I heard their story I dispatched the men that were looking for you myself. Couldn't have them taking our Dragonborn back to such a fate."

"You have my sincere gratitude for that, my Jarl," Duna said with what Farkas could tell was a genuinely relieved sigh. Her answer made Ulfric grin.

"So, Lady Celeste, Duna Stormcaller... the heir of Talos himself, comes to me... what else would you have me do for you, Dragonborn?"

"Nothing more for me, my Jarl, I just wished to bring you the information I found," Duna replied, her polite smile returning, "for you to know that the Thalmor are benefiting from Skyrim's chaos—"

"And what would you have me do about that?" Ulfric interrupted sharply, his warm tone suddenly becoming dark, "give up the fight? Forsake my people? Let all the men I've lost have died in vain?!"

"N-no, of course not my Jarl," Duna faltered for only a moment and Farkas could see her trying to think of an acceptable response.

"Then what? Have you come to join the fight?" Ulfric's expression and tone suddenly softened again as he said, "_you_ could help me end this... fight along side me and my men... Stormcloak and Stormcaller..."

Farkas tensed a little more at the tone the Jarl was using, he'd already begun to suspect the Jarl's intentions, and he didn't like where this was going...

"Forgive me if I seem forward, Dragonborn, but I have been planning to seek you out ever since I recognized you in the picture those imperials brought me. You see..." Ulfric smiled and his voice dropped to a lower, smooth tone, "shortly after I was named Jarl, and rightfully placed on the throne of Ysgramor," he gestured proudly at the throne room around them, "one of the priestesses of Talos told of a vision, that the Aldmeri Dominion would be driven from Skyrim by a great army, led by a man that was both the heir of Talos, and the heir of Ysgramor... half imperial, and half Nord."

Farkas knew exactly where he was going with this now, his wolf spirit wanted to lunge forward and rip the Jarl's throat out right then and there, but Farkas knew better. It was all he could do to quietly clench his fists and stand in place beside Duna, praying she wouldn't agree to this...

"Most of us dismissed it as the ramblings of a grief-stricken old woman," Ulfric continued, "and I did too... until I learned of you..." the Jarl said, the almost predatory smile back on his face.

Duna spared Farkas a quick sideways glance, but then the coy smirk she looked back to Ulfric with nearly broke Farkas's heart.

"What exactly are you proposing, my Jarl?" Duna asked. Her sweet tone was almost flirtatious... his heart broke more...

"Join me," Ulfric grinned, "help me put an end to this war, and then rule Skyrim with me as my high queen... bear me the son that will finally put an end to these damn Thalmor." Ulfric grinned suggestively and Duna's eyes widened in what Farkas could tell was fake surprise.

"My Jarl, I... I'm flattered... but... as I've just told you, I came to Skyrim to escape a marriage to a man I hardly knew... and prophesy or not, surely you would not expect me to agree to exactly such an arrangement with another man I hardly know."

"True, no, my lady," Ulfric nodded politely, "but you could always... get to know me," headded, giving Duna another suggestive smile. Duna blushed and averted her eyes for a moment before looking back up to meet the Jarl's gaze. Farkas could hear her heart racing.

"That is certainly a tempting offer, my Jarl," Duna smiled sweetly and appeared to be considering. Farkas's heart pounded with dread as several moments stretched on in silence.

Then Duna sighed and looked back at the Jarl with the same sweet smile, "I do hate to refuse such a lovely offer..." she said, looking a little regretful, "but, for now, I must make my priority the defeat of the dragons, and your priority must be the end of this war."

Farkas's heart leapt hopefully...

"Sadly, you make a good point," Ulfric nodded with a slightly dejected sounding sigh.

"If I am still in a position to do so, I may reconsider your offer once I have more time on my hands," Duna smiled politely, and Farkas's heart broke again.

"A man can hope then," Ulfric smiled. "Thank you for this, Dragonborn," he added, holding up the red book, "if nothing else, you've shown me loyalty, and I will remember it."

"I'm glad my Jarl," Duna said with another polite nod, "we'll take our leave for now then."

"For now," the Jarl smirked, "Talos guide you."

With that Duna gave one more polite nod before turning to leave and Farkas stayed close on her heels.

His heart was hammering, he didn't know how to feel... his wolf spirit was raging in his chest... how could she just smile and flirt with another man like that? With him right beside her... after everything they'd been through...

She'd at least turned the Jarl down for now... but he particularly didn't like the 'for now' part...

She put her mask back on and hurried out of the palace. As he followed her through the streets of Windhelm, Farkas tried to control himself... the wolf spirit was angry with her. Now he was even more eager to claim her quickly, before another man could... it was going to be difficult to rein his wolf spirit back in, but he knew he had to. He couldn't give into the beast, he refused to ever hurt Duna, even if he was mad at her... wait... was _he_ mad at her? The wolf spirit was, but...

Farkas mentally pushed the wolf spirits thoughts aside. He was more hurt than angry. It was possible she suspected how he felt, but she didn't know. Much as he wanted to, Farkas had no rights to any kind of claim on her... he was just her shield-brother... her best friend... she could flirt with whoever she wanted, Farkas reminded himself sadly.

At least she hadn't told Ulfric 'yes'...


	26. His Little Rabbit

To Farkas's surprise, despite the late hour, Duna passed the inn and went straight for the front gate. She'd been walking quickly since they left the palace and Farkas suddenly realized her pulse was still racing.

She had refused the stable hands' help, and by the time they retrieved their horses she was practically trembling as she tried to lift the saddle up to Dapple's back.

"You ok?" He asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded but didn't say anything and Farkas realized he could smell tears behind her mask. All hints of anger he'd felt toward her melted instantly. "Duna..." he said gently, his voice filled with concern.

Duna dropped the saddle and turned and wrapped her arms around his middle, letting her mask thunk against his steel chest plate. Farkas was startled for a moment but then wrapped her in an embrace. He just held her as she let out a shuddered sob. Farkas realized he'd probably misread the meaning behind her racing pulse while she'd smiled and responded to the Jarl so sweetly.

He didn't know what to say so he just held her quietly.

After several moments she took a deep breath.

"Divines, I'm going to rust the inside of this damn thing," she grumbled. Farkas let out a light chuckle and kept his arms protectively around her.

"That won't be comfortable," he commented bluntly. Duna gave a small chuckle at that and Farkas smiled.

She pulled back just enough to lift her mask and wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I was trying to keep it together, but..."

"Don't be," Farkas said gently. "What's wrong?"

He had several pretty good guesses what was wrong, but he didn't want to assume anything. She took a deep, shaky breath and lowered her mask back into place, then she leaned back into his chest with her steel mask against his chest plate again.

"I... just... _that_..." she sighed gesturing back toward the city. "I was so stupid and naive to think that would actually do any good... and... and then that prophesy..." she shook her head and shuddered, "I... I was so afraid he wasn't going to accept my refusal..."

"He would've had a fight on his hands if he didn't," Farkas said a little gruffly. He leaned his chin against the top of her head, and kept his arms around her. Her heart was still pounding quickly. He thought about telling her how afraid he'd been that she wasn't going to refuse the Jarl, but he didn't know how she would react to that. He looked up and scanned their surroundings carefully. None of the guards were paying them any attention... the sun had set about an hour ago and it would be getting bitterly cold soon. "We should probably keep moving if we're not staying in Windhelm tonight," he said in a low tone several moments later.

"Yeah," she nodded, "I don't want to be anywhere near here if Ulfric changes his mind about letting me go."

"Good idea," Farkas agreed. He slowly let his arms slacken enough for her to pull away, but as she did so she paused and looked up at him through the slits in her mask and Farkas wished that mask wasn't there...

"Thank you Farkas," she said quietly.

"No worries," he smiled, "I'm here to help."

As Duna stepped back, Farkas reached to pick up the saddle. He quickly finished saddling both horses and they were on the road a few minutes later. Duna began to sound and smell a bit calmer, the further they got from Windhelm.

They rode south for a couple of hours until they reached a spot Farkas decided looked suitable for a campsite, far enough south that they wouldn't freeze overnight. Duna set up her tent while Farkas built a fire. Then she took off her mask and armor and sat out in front of her tent, wrapped in her bedroll. Farkas finished stoking up the fire and they ate a dinner of bread, cheese, and dried meat.

When they were finished Farkas cleaned up the rest of their campsite, took his own armor off, and sat down beside her.

"Feeling any better?" He asked gently.

"A bit," she sighed. "It was just... the way he looked at me," she shuddered, "it reminded me of Aranmen... the way he'd look at me whenever he found me somewhere in the palace... he was eying me for a few years before his fourth wife died. It was creepy." She stared into the fire looking lost in thought. Farkas didn't know what to say, he didn't like the way Ulfric had been looking at her either...

"I... I told you I ran away because I didn't want to marry him... but it wasn't just that..." she admitted quietly, "I... I was terrified. The prospect of the wedding night actually gave me nightmares..."

Farkas cocked his head in concern, listening as she explained...

"Once, while I had snuck out, I was hiding on the roof... it was right after his fourth wife died... and I overheard him talking to another justicar about it... he'd asked him why he kept marrying women he knew he was going to outlive by so much..." Duna took a deep breath, and shuddered at the memory, "...he said because it meant every fifty years or so... he got to get a new one... and... then he talked about... about how much he enjoys... 'taking virgins'... because... of how they scream in pain..." she trembled, and tucked herself more into her bedroll.

Farkas let a low growl of disgust rumble through his chest, remembering what the elven bounty hunter had said... asking if she'd be 'intact for her wedding night'...

"That's not a man, that's a monster," Farkas said angrily. "I know I'm a beast, but I could never hurt you like that..." Farkas shook his head, he hated men like that... "I never understood how a man could enjoy hurting a woman," he said with a quiet growl, "especially a woman he's supposed to love... I would..."

Farkas trailed off as Duna looked up from the fire and looked at him with an uncertain, surprised expression. Farkas's heart begin to pound as he realized he'd just said a lot more than he meant to out loud...

..._He loved her_...

...and he'd almost just admitted it...

...Duna was sitting here trying to calm down after an unwanted marriage proposal, and like an idiot, he'd nearly just told her he loved her...

She climbed out of her bedroll, and Farkas was afraid she was about to get up and run into the woods right then and there...

But she didn't...

She scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him with her head against his shoulder. Farkas's heart began to race hopefully as he wrapped his arms around her waist to return the hug.

"You might be a beast, but _you're_ definitely not a monster, Farkas," she whispered, her breath falling across his collarbone and giving him goosebumps. "Please..." she whispered, "please forgive me for ever thinking you were."

Farkas smiled and held her a little tighter.

"Nothing to forgive, little rabbit," he smiled, "I never held that against you." His wolf spirit was getting excitedly hopeful and Farkas was pretty sure his heart was hammering loud enough for Duna to hear it.

"I... I don't know what I'd do without you..." Duna continued, sounding nervous, "you're the first man who's actually made me feel safe... like I'm not just a trophy to be won or bargained with... I'm really glad you're with me."

"Me too," he said in a low tone. He leaned his head down so his nose and lips just brushed her hair and took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart. She smelled so lovely...

He placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head and felt her tense in his arms for a moment before her heart began to pick up in pace even more. Then she shifted and Farkas sadly loosened his arms so she could pull away...

But then she didn't pull away...

He felt her face tilt up toward him and she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He looked down at her in surprise to find her looking up at him with a shy smile and an adorable blush across her cheeks... and he could hear her heart still racing... she smelled amazing... she looked amazing...

...gods he wanted her...

His wolf spirit was going nearly crazy...

Farkas took another deep breath and forced the wolf spirit back to silence.

This would be their moment, not the wolf's...

He slowly brought one hand up to gently cup the side of her face... he heard her breath catch in her throat... then, with his own heart still racing to match hers, he leaned down slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away...

Instead of pulling away, she lifted her head to meet him as he gently kissed her lips. Her lips were soft and smooth as they moved against his, and Farkas may as well have been drunk from how happy he was... she wasn't pulling away from him... she kept her arms around him and she was actually kissing him back...

Farkas had never actually kissed anyone before, and he was pretty sure Duna hadn't either, but the experience still pretty well blew his mind... she flooded his senses and made it difficult to form thoughts... all Farkas knew was he was happy.

The kiss ended much too quickly for Farkas's liking and Duna ducked her head, leaning back into his shoulder. Her heart was racing, but she still didn't pull away.

Farkas just held her for a few moments, trying to form coherent thoughts...

"...wow..." he heard himself say stupidly. Duna giggled quietly, but he could still hear her pulse pounding...

"So what now?" She whispered nervously.

"Don't know, but I'm happy," Farkas shrugged with a smile.

"I... I'm sorry I was scared before..." she said quietly. Farkas leaned his chin against the top of her head and hugged her a little tighter.

"I promise, you never have to be scared of me," he told her warmly.

"I believe that now," she nodded, but she still sounded nervous and uncertain as she pulled back a little so she could look him in the eyes. Farkas kept his arms around her loosely as he waited for her to speak her mind...

"I... Farkas..." Duna began quietly, "I... I don't want to hurt you..." she began sounding even more nervous and it made Farkas's heart begin beating nervously again, wondering where she was going with this... "but I... I've spent the last few years dreading an inevitable marriage... I... before I came to Skyrim, I thought I was doomed to end up nothing but a... baby-producing trophy for my husband's bed, and I don't want to..."

Farkas barely concealed the growl that rumbled through his chest at that thought, but then he suddenly felt terrible... she'd literally just told him she used to have nightmares about her future wedding night and here he was realizing he was in love with her and kissing her... with his wolf spirit wanting to take her as a mate...

"I don't want a trophy," he assured her in a low tone, "I'm just happy to have someone to adventure with... I want you to be safe, and happy."

Duna smiled and nodded at that, but she still sounded nervous.

"I... I trust you, and I don't want to lose you... but... I'm not ready f-for... anything serious..."

Duna paused and took a shaky breath, glancing down. Farkas was pretty sure he understood, and he felt a lump forming in his throat as he waited for her to continue.

"But you... you're the first man who's ever made me think I might be one day... I... I'm just not there yet..." she whispered.

Farkas sighed in relief at the word 'yet'... she wasn't turning him down, she just wasn't ready to go get an amulet of Mara.

"Take whatever time you need," he smiled gently, "I'm not goin' anywhere."

Duna just looked up at him in surprise.

"Nothin' has to change," he said gently, "we've still got a job to do and dragons to kill... you've learned a lot, you're getting stronger, but I still wanna help."

Duna let out a big sigh of what sounded like relief and leaned back into hug him again. Her pulse finally began to sound more calm and comfortable.

"Thank you Farkas," she whispered. "I... that... I think that sounds good..." she shifted a little more to just comfortably lean against him. "I like how things have been recently... I like _this_." She squeezed her arms around him gently for a moment, and then leaned up and kissed his cheek again.

"Me too," Farkas grinned. He leaned down for another kiss but paused to give Duna the option. He loved how he could feel her smile for a moment before she lifted her head and kissed his lips.

Their second kiss was a bit longer as Farkas began to slightly awkwardly figure out how one was supposed to involve tongues in kissing... Farkas loved it... he loved the way she felt... the way she smelled... the way she tasted...

The wolf spirit loved every moment of it as well, but of course it wasn't satisfied...

Farkas wanted so badly to give in... to pull her tunic off... to feel all of her... but that was going to wait... had to wait... until she was ready...

When they finally separated Duna leaned tiredly on his shoulder with a happy sounding sigh that made Farkas smile.

Farkas turned his attention to their surroundings for the first time in probably too long... but all seemed fine.

The horses were standing sleepily under the nearby tree. The sky was cloudy, but Farkas didn't think it smelled like rain or snow. The fire was beginning to burn down to embers and would probably be safe for the night.

Duna smelled tired... like she usually did after her adrenaline wore off...

They sat there for several minutes more with Duna just relaxing in Farkas's arms, smiling tiredly. Farkas leaned back down with his nose and lips against her hair and simply enjoyed breathing in her scent... gods it was a lovely scent... her smile was so beautiful... and her breathing was comfortable... relaxed... very relaxed...

Farkas chuckled quietly as he realized in that short amount of time she had begun nodding off.

"Come on, little rabbit," he said placing another gentle kiss to the top of her head, "you should get some sleep."

Duna blinked as Farkas slowly pulled back from her.

"Alright," she sighed as she sat back up. Farkas reached forward and held her tent flap open for her. Duna grabbed her bedroll and looked back up to him.

"Will you be alright?" She asked before she climbed into the tent, "will it be cold tonight?"

Farkas felt like his heart leapt into his throat as his mind went to thoughts of holding her through the night, curled up in her tent, sharing a bedroll. But he didn't trust himself to keep his hands in appropriate places all night.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," he smiled, and he felt his wolf spirit curse at him, but Duna seemed comfortable with his answer.

"Alright," she nodded. She reached back to him with a gentle hand on the side of his face and placed one more, quick kiss to his lips before turning to climb into her tent. "Goodnight," she said quietly, still smiling.

"Goodnight... my little rabbit," Farkas replied with a smile. He heard her heart skip again and she was still smiling as he shut her tent flap.

Farkas lay down in his own bedroll with a tired but happy sigh. He couldn't ask for a better ending to that a long, emotional day... but his wolf spirit could...

His wolf spirit was as happy as Farkas was with how the evening had gone... except for the end... the wolf spirit was angry he hadn't jumped at the opportunity to share Duna's tent... which was a large part of the reason Farkas hadn't... the wolf wanted exactly what Duna had basically just told him she wasn't ready for.

Even with his wolf spirit as irritable as it was, Farkas settled happily into his bedroll right outside her tent. He didn't mind waiting for her... especially if he at least got to kiss her while he waited...

Even the restless dreams through the night weren't enough to dampen Farkas's mood. He got up just before sunrise and stoked the fire back up, thinking while he waited for Duna to wake... they were going to Riften next. Farkas expected it might be a long while before Duna was ready for an Amulet of Mara, but maybe he would still find a chance to go pick one up... he could just hold onto it, however long it took...


	27. Riften

As Farkas watched the sunrise, his thoughts shifted from the Temple of Mara to other things that could be found in Riften...

Farkas never told even Vilkas that he had briefly considered the notion of being a thief when he was a little younger... when he got good at stealing sweet rolls and bread from Vilkas and several of the other Companions. Sneaking past werewolves was not something most people could do, but Farkas was a natural at it.

When Farkas realized Vilkas was so much better than he was at pretty much everything it took to be a warrior, he had seriously considered trying his luck with the Thieves Guild in Riften.

On one of his jobs in the Rift once he'd gone and sniffed them out. He avoided any direct contact, and so kept all hints of his interest a secret, but he got a decent idea of the scope of their operation. He decided he needed to steal something of a bit more value first, just to make sure he could actually do it... So he'd snuck into Vignar's room and made off with one of his larger coin purses. It went perfectly... no one caught him, and he was sure no one would have suspected him... he definitely _could_ do it... but it didn't feel right... it wasn't honorable.

He felt so bad about it that he had snuck back into Vignar's room and returned the coin purse before anyone noticed it was gone.

That was when he'd doubled up on all of his training so he could keep up with Vilkas. And he only used his stealth skills for pulling pranks and stealing his brother's food after that.

So Farkas was particularly wary of the thieves in Riften... he knew what it took to be a thief... one had to either have very little honor, or be desperate... and those weren't the kind of people he was eager to deal with... especially honorless, desperate people who might know about Duna's bounty...

Duna got up not long after sunrise and her beautiful, sleepy smile instantly put him back in a better mood.

She'd swapped back to her leather armor to avoid standing out, and her steel mask was held in her hands. She looked a little rough from the day before; riding all day, crying, and then camping out without a proper washroom. She smelled a little more like sweat and smoke than wildflowers, and her hair was a little more greasy than silky, but Farkas didn't care. He knew he was in the same state, and he'd seen all of his shield-sisters look worse. He grinned back at her. She blushed, and Farkas could hear her pulse skip, he thought she sounded happy.

They ate breakfast as Farkas told her his expectations and concerns about Riften. Duna tucked her coin purse deep into her gear pack and after they finished packing up camp she put her mask back on. Farkas was sad to see her mask go back on... and a bit disappointed he hadn't found an opportunity to kiss her again first... but he was satisfied that the bounty hunters shouldn't recognize her at least. He helped her onto Dapple's back and with a smirk he placed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand before he let her go. He smirked a little more as he heard her pulse jump. She didn't sound afraid, more excited.

Farkas couldn't stop smiling as he jumped onto Boy and they set off down the road.

They rode most of the day and got to Riften by late afternoon. They stabled their horses without issue... the stablehand seemed more friendly and honest than Farkas remembered...

But the rest of Riften was exactly as Farkas remembered. It stank of stagnant water, fish, stale mead, and slight decay. The guards by the gate had tried to charge them a 'visitors tax' for 'the privilege of entering the city'... to Farkas's relief Duna didn't need him to tell her that this was shady business. She called them out on it and Farkas chuckled as the guards nervously tried to back out of their attempt at a shake-down.

Inside the city wasn't a lot better. The Blackbriars actually had a hired thug on the street to tell newcomers to stay out of their business.

Despite clearly feeling a bit uneasy after their conversations with the guards and the thug, Duna paused, to look curiously around. She looked out at the lake beside the city and then over the railing, down at the stagnant water at the lower level of the city. Farkas chuckled, able to imagine her fascinated expression behind her mask.

After a few moments Farkas pointed out the Bee and Barb, and then stayed close behind her as she made her way to the inn. He didn't like the way several sets of eyes followed them as they entered. Duna went quickly to speak with the Argonian innkeeper while Farkas took stock of their surroundings.

It was actually a nicer tavern than he'd been expecting, he could hardly smell the stench of the stagnant water anymore and it smelled like they were cooking fresh fish back in the kitchen. There were several patrons around the room, Farkas over heard one man trying to convince the Argonian barkeeper to be his valet (which didn’t go well)... another conversation about someone being in mourning... another conversation that sounded like two people discussing their affair...

Then a Nord man standing by the opposite door caught Farkas's attention. He was dressed in fine clothes and looked like a merchant... he had red hair almost as long as Farkas's, and a short, neatly trimmed beard... and he was watching Duna like a hawk, looking her up and down with a smirk on his face...

Farkas took a step closer to Duna, making the redhead look up at him in surprise. The man gave Farkas an appraising look before meeting his eye with a polite nod and turning his attention to another woman on the other side of the room. Farkas didn't trust him.

Duna turned back to him a moment later.

"Got a room with two beds and a washbasin, and there's a washroom down the hall," she said sounding relieved. "Let's wash up then get dinner. We can find Delphine's guy in the morning," she suggested.

"Alright," Farkas agreed with a nod.

But, as they turned to head upstairs, the redheaded Nord approached them...

"Never done an honest day's work in your life for all that coin you're carrying, eh lass?" He asked in a smooth, slightly accented voice, and now that he was closer, Farkas could pick out that he smelled of leather and mead, but he also had the faintest hint of mildew and the stagnant water from beneath the city. Farkas was pretty sure that was the smell of the Thieves Guild...

"I'm sorry, what?" Duna snapped indignantly, Farkas could tell from her tone and the sound of her pulse that she was glaring at him through her mask.

"I'm saying you've got the coin, but you didn't earn a septim of it honestly. I can tell," the thief smirked.

Farkas let out a quiet growl... he was tempted to punch the man for that implication...

"My wealth is none of your business," Duna replied irritably.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, lass," the man grinned. "Wealth _is_ my business. Maybe you'd like a taste?"

"Again... I'm sorry, _what_?" Duna put both hands on her hips and Farkas could smell her anger rising. Farkas squared his shoulders and shifted slightly closer to her. If he weren't so irritated with this man Farkas would have been amused at the stark contrast from how she'd addressed the Jarl the day before. Duna definitely wasn't intimidated by him.

The redhead chuckled, "I've got a bit of an errand to perform," he explained, "but I need an extra pair of hands, and I thought you looked up to the task."

"How do you figure?" Duna asked skeptically.

"It's all about sizing up your mark, lass," he continued with another smirk. "The way they walk, what they're wearing... for example," he gestured to Duna's armor, "leather armor as well made as that, and an ancient dragonpriest mask," he sounded impressed as he pointed that out, "you're obviously a woman who knows what she's doing."

"Alright," Duna grumbled, "you're not _wrong_..."

"Oh, and I should add," the man said, still smirking confidently, "in my line of work, extra hands are _well-paid._"

"What would we have to do?" Duna asked cautiously.

Farkas tried not to growl out loud as he listened to this thief explain his 'errand'... he had a client who wanted some poor merchant put out of business, and he had an underhanded mess of a scheme to do it; steal a ring from one merchant stall and plant it in the other merchant's pocket... and Brynjolf's idea of 'extra hands' sounded a lot to Farkas like he just needed someone to do the job for him...

To Farkas's relief, when she'd heard the whole scheme Duna responded with,

"I'm not sure how Riften's laws work, but I'm pretty sure this is illegal. We're not interested."

"Sorry..." the thief said, looking genuinely taken aback, "I usually have a nose for this kind of thing. Never mind then, lass. The name's Brynjolf. If you change your mind, come find me."

He turned to leave and Farkas heard Duna mumble, almost imperceptibly under her breath,

"Shit..." and then much louder, "Brynjolf, wait!"

"That was quick..." the redhead retorted, turning back around.

"No, not that," Duna grumbled, "I was told to talk to you," she began, and Brynjolf regarded her cautiously with a raised eyebrow. "I'm looking for this old guy hiding out somewhere in Riften," she explained. Brynjolf didn't give much away, but Farkas did catch the brief look of realization that crossed the thief's face...

"Expecting free information, eh?" Brynjolf scoffed, but the damn smirk was still on his face. "Help me deal with business first, then we'll see how I can help you."

"I need to find this guy first," Duna insisted, "he knows about the dragons and I have to find out how to stop them... come on, dragons can't be good for business..."

"Heh, nice try lass," Brynjolf shook his head. "You help me out, and I'll help you out. That's just how it is. I'll be in the market if you change your mind."

With that, Brynjolf turned to leave and Duna groaned.

"Let's go get washed up," she grumbled, turning back to Farkas.

"What do you think?" Duna asked, sitting on the bed once Farkas came back from washing...

Farkas's first thought was that she smelled like wildflowers and he wanted to kiss her again... he stood, staring stupidly at her for a moment, trying to focus on the problem at hand instead of the beautiful woman in front of him... in her thin sleeping tunic... sitting on a bed...

Farkas closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He mentally began trying to silence his wolf spirit, only to realize that wanting to hold and kiss her was his own thoughts, not the wolf's.

He shook his head and hoped he wasn't making Duna uncomfortable as he took a moment to force his thoughts back to the thief they'd just met.

"I don't like Brynjolf," he sighed, sitting beside her on the bed. "He's a practiced liar, I couldn't get much of a read on him, but he did seem to know something when you asked about an old guy hiding out somewhere."

"I don't like the sound of this 'errand' of his," Duna grumbled.

"Me neither," Farkas shook his head with another sigh. But he wasn't sure they could find this guy without Brynjolf's help... if he had been evading the Thalmor for so many years it seemed unlikely he and Duna would be able find him without some kind of lead. "Might be our best plan though..."

"Wait, you're considering actually doing this?" Duna looked up at him in surprise.

"Might have to," Farkas shrugged, "its not the most honorable job, but we're not killin' anybody... it's our only lead, and saving the world is definitely honorable, so..." Farkas trailed off with another shrug.

"I guess so..." Duna sighed.

She looked lost in thought and Farkas slowly reached down and took her hand. He heard her pulse jump for a moment, but then she relaxed and interlaced her fingers with his. Farkas smiled as she continued staring off thoughtfully.

"Then I guess the question is _how_ are we going to do it..." she frowned several moments later. "If Brynjolf causes a distraction I'm sure I can get the ring without being seen, but I've never pickpocketed— or reverse-pickpocketed anyone before..."

"I can probably handle that part," Farkas volunteered a little reluctantly. "I'm actually... good at things like that," he admitted sheepishly.

"Pulling pranks are Jorrvaskr?" Duna asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Farkas chuckled, "that and swipin' food from my brother. I gotta lose the armor first, but I've even nicked a sweet roll from the enchanted pack on Vilkas's belt before."

"Wow," Duna nodded, "alright, then... I guess we'll meet Brynjolf in the morning... I'll get the ring, and you plant it on Brand-Shei."

"Alright then," Farkas nodded.

Farkas brought dinner up to their room, and they discussed and planned the details as they ate.

Then Duna sat back down on her bed to write in her journal and Farkas just got lost admiring her features again. When she closed her journal she looked up and blushed when she caught him staring, but her pulse still didn't sound afraid. She got up to put her journal away and Farkas stood up too... then she turned back to him, still blushing, and suddenly looking nervous and uncertain as she stepped a little closer to him.

"So um..." she paused and Farkas cocked his head curiously, wondering what was on her mind... her nervous expression reminded him of back in Ustengrav... before she'd kissed his cheek and then run off...

But then before Farkas could ask what was wrong, she took another step forward, up on her tiptoes, and placed a quick kiss to his lips. Unlike in Ustengrav, Farkas didn't let her pull away so quickly. He'd been wanting to kiss her again since they got up that morning... even more so since she got done cleaning up... so he quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a much more passionate kiss. To his delight, Duna didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him and kiss back.

Farkas tentatively let his other hand run slowly up her back and then to the back of her neck, when Duna gave no indication of discomfort he ran his fingers through her soft hair. Her heart was racing, but she was still kissing him. She smelled and felt simply amazing.

When they finally parted Farkas didn't want to let her go, but he could feel his wolf spirit pulling at him to take things further, so he knew needed to. He took a deep breath and let her slowly pull away. She smiled up at him, still blushing... gods she was beautiful.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight," Farkas sighed. He reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and just smiled down at her for a moment before placing one more gentle kiss to her forehead. "My beautiful, little rabbit," he whispered with a smile.


	28. Not a Companions’ Job

The next morning they rose with the sun and Farkas quickly went off to the washroom to get ready for the day.

They'd agreed the night before that if they were going to do Brynjolf's underhanded job, they didn't want anyone to recognize them as Companions. So Farkas washed and combed his hair and beard like he normally would, but then, instead of fixing and reapplying his warpaint, he scrubbed it completely off. Instead of his armor he put on one of his nicer dark grey shirts that he'd almost forgotten he owned, and a pair of tan trousers. He felt exposed walking out of the washroom like that... he couldn't remember the last time he'd intentionally taken off his warpaint.

"Divines, I barely recognize you," Duna commented in surprise when he got back to their room.

"That's part of the idea," Farkas chuckled.

Duna was wearing the set of fine clothes that Delphine had given her for sneaking into the Thalmor Embassy, and she hadn't put her mask back on yet. Farkas had just as much trouble not staring as he had the first time he'd seen her in that outfit. "You... you look... wow..." Farkas heard himself say a bit stupidly. Duna giggled and began blushing adorably while Farkas just looked her over admiringly... he didn't want to go out and do a job right now, he wanted to pin her to the bed and pull those clothes off... he knew she was watching as he stared... he heard her pulse begin to pick up, but when he looked back to her face she was smiling shyly back at him.

Farkas decided to at least partly give in to temptation... he quickly closed the distance between them and leaned down to kiss her. She dropped her mask to run her hands up his chest and wrap slowly around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. Duna smelled and sounded like a mix of nervousness and excitement... it was arousing...

As they kissed he slowly let one hand run down to her hip while the other ran up her back and tangled into her hair, holding her firmly against him... then his hand trailed slowly from her hip to her lower back then her other hip... gods, her hips... her hips were wide for her slim frame, but toned and firm, and his wolf spirit quickly flooded his mind with thoughts of his mate bearing his pups...

Farkas was suddenly and startlingly reminded of one of the downsides of not wearing armor... his trousers were going to do nothing to hide how much he wanted her... and he knew Duna wasn't ready for that.

With a sigh, he pulled gently back and rested his forehead against hers... gods he wanted her...

He felt a blush creeping up his face as he tried to will his arousal back down. He listened to her catch her breath for a moment and let himself hope that she wanted him too, but then he quickly forced those thoughts aside. He'd promised her he would wait, and they had a job to do...

"We should get going," he said in a low tone. 'Before I get too distracted,' he thought.

"We should," Duna sighed. Farkas's heart jumped hopefully as he realized she sounded as disappointed as he felt. He grinned down at her and placed another gentle kiss to her forehead before he let her go. She was still blushing as she pulled her mask on.

They meandered through the market for a few minutes, taking stock of their surroundings. Duna found the merchant she needed to steel the ring from and Farkas figured out which one was Brand-Shei. Then they found Brynjolf at his own stall.

"Glad to see you finally came to your senses," Brynjolf smirked as they approached. "Ready to handle some business and make some coin?"

"If that's what it's going to take for you to help us," Duna shrugged.

"Aye lass," Brynjolf grinned, "take care of my business, and I'll take care of yours."

"Alright, then let's get this started," Duna sighed.

"You know the plan?" Brynjolf asked.

"Yeah, I think we've got it," Duna nodded.

"Good. Wait until I start the distraction and then show me what you're made of," the thief grinned.

They went back to meandering the market. Farkas perused Brand-Shei's stall to make it more inconspicuous to be near the poor Dunmer when Duna got the ring...

Then Brynjolf called out loudly,

"Everyone! Everyone! Gather 'round! I have something amazing to show you that demands your attention! Gather 'round all! No pushing, no shoving. Plenty of room!"

Farkas watched as every eye in the market turned to the redhead.

"Come on, Brynjolf... what is it this time?" The Dunmer in front of Farkas grumbled as he stepped out from behind his stall to watch the Nord.

"Patience, Brand-Shei," Brynjolf smirked. "This is a rare opportunity, and I wouldn't want you to get left out." He gave Farkas a subtle but meaningful look and Farkas nodded just as subtly to tell him he understood who the target was.

Duna meanwhile was almost instantly out of sight, sneaking behind the jewelry stall. Farkas leaned on a few of the boxes beside Brand-Shei and tried not to outwardly scoff as Brynjolf made grandiose claims about what his supposed 'Falmer-blood Elixir' could do.

Then suddenly, Duna practically appeared beside him. Farkas grinned down at her and took her hand, the stolen ring pressed into his palm. He placed a kiss to the back of her hand before letting go and shifting closer to Brand-Shei, giving the appearance of making room for Duna to listen to Brynjolf's presentation as well.

Farkas couldn't help but smirk, the handoff went exactly according to plan; to any onlookers it would have looked like a simple flirtatious interaction.

Then Farkas took a deep breath to calm and steady his pulse, then he reached slowly out for Brand-Shei's pocket...

Farkas couldn't believe how easy it was... but then he was used to trying to pickpocket his brother...

Within moments the stolen ring was in Brand-Shei's pocket and the poor Dunmer was none the wiser. Farkas leaned back and took Duna's hand again, giving Brynjolf another very subtle nod.

Brynjolf brought his distraction to a natural seeming conclusion and the crowd began to slowly disperse. Half of them grumbling, half of them still curious.

Farkas kept a hold of Duna's hand as they made their way back to the Bee and Barb. They sat down at a table to wait for Brynjolf.

But then, moments later, a courier walked in and did a double-take in Farkas's direction.

"Been looking for you," the man complained as he rummaged through his satchel, "here you go," he handed Farkas a folded parchment with a familiar scent and Vilkas's handwriting scrawled across the outside. Farkas expressed his thanks, feeling a little guilty that he hadn't already written to Vilkas about some of their more recent developments...

Once the courier left Farkas opened the letter eagerly.

_Dear Farkas,_

_It was good to get your last letter. I'm glad you got Duna a mask, I'll worry a little less about you now._

_We haven't seen any signs of this Anska yet, but Kodlak and I agree, this scroll of hers sounds intriguing. It was good that you advised her to come to us._

_In other news, things have gotten a little more _interesting_ around here._

_I'm afraid I'm not nearly as good at this whole prank pulling thing as you are... I swapped Torvar's mead for pickling brine, which, I must admit, was hilarious, but Skjor figured out it was me._

_So, in an effort to lay low for the day I took care of a few of the usual errands, including reporting to Balgruuf's steward. I met Duna's housecarl at Dragonsreach. She thought I was you at first and asked me where Duna was. She figured it out when I told her Duna was "off somewhere with my brother."_

_I invited her back to Jorrvaskr. She seems to be quite the fine warrior. She even put Njada in her place her first day here! I'll have to let Ria tell you that story, I only heard it from down the hall, but it was quite amusing._

_Being a housecarl, she’d need a letter of permission from Duna to officially join us, but Kodlak agrees that she seems capable._

_Keep in touch and stay safe._

_Love,_

_Vilkas_

Farkas chuckled as he put the letter down and relayed its contents to Duna.

"Oh, I'll be happy to write her a letter!" Duna agreed excitedly, and Farkas grinned. He couldn't remember the last time Vilkas had been the one to invite someone to join them... he was usually the one trying to get rid of people.

Duna pulled a piece of parchment and charcoal from her pack and set to writing a formal letter of permission. Farkas got out his own paper and began his letter to Vilkas. He had a lot to update his brother on since his last letter... the ordeal at the Thalmor Embassy... the information they'd gathered... Ulfric... and then his most recent developments with Duna...

He wasn't sure he wanted to tell him about the job they'd _just_ done though...

Duna finished her letter, and Farkas was nearly done writing his when the tavern door opened and Brynjolf strolled in with a grin on his face.

"Looks like I chose the right people for the job," he praised as he pulled up a chair at their table. "And here you go... your payment, just as I promised," he dropped a large coin purse in the center of the table. Farkas tried not to look too grumpy as he set his letter aside.

Then he picked up the purse and handed the whole thing to Duna, without taking his eyes off Brynjolf. He did notice the purse had a rather impressive weight to it. From the corner of his eye he saw Duna quickly stash the purse.

Brynjolf watched their interactions curiously, seemingly trying to figure them out.

"The way things have been going around here, it's a relief that our plan went off without a hitch," Brynjolf added with a smirk, "we could really use a pair like you... you're naturals..."

The compliment from a thief made Farkas a little uncomfortable. He wasn't proud of how easy that job had been...

"Thanks, but we've got a lot on our own plates to deal with right now," Duna replied politely.

"Right, you mentioned the dragons, didn't you lass?" Brynjolf nodded.

"Yeah, we need to find an old guy, probably hiding out somewhere in the Ratway," Duna reminded him.

"Yeah. I bet I know your guy," Brynjolf said with another thoughtful nod. "He's hiding out in the Ratway Warrens. Paying us good coin for nobody to know about it. Well, until now that is... I can show you the shortcut down there."

"Thank you," Duna said a little surprised.

"Go get rearmored up, I'll meet you back at the market." Brynjolf got to his feet. Farkas was just starting to think he might not be so bad, and then as he turned for the door he paused and gave Duna a flirtatious wink. Farkas glared at him and barely stifled the growl that rose in his throat, but then Brynjolf laughed.

"Calm down lad, I guess that answers that question then." And he walked out of the tavern still chuckling.

"Still don't like him," Farkas grumbled. Duna giggled quietly as she got up. Farkas collected his things and followed Duna upstairs.

"At least he's giving us the information we need," Duna sighed, pulling her mask off as soon as they got back into their room. "I was afraid we'd get roped into his shady business dealings for nothing."

"True," Farkas sighed.

Farkas carefully packed his letter to Vilkas back on his enchanted pack, and then hurried to the washroom to put his armor back on and slathered the dark warpaint across his eyes. It felt so much better to be back in his familiar armor. He felt like himself again.

He got back to the room to find Duna looking much more comfortable back in her leather armor. She gave him a quick smile before pulling her mask back on, and then reached down to take his hand as they headed out the door.

They found Brynjolf in the market, back at his stall. Farkas felt a bit guilty noticing, unsurprised, that Brand-Shei's stall was empty.

Brynjolf pretended to sell them an elixir and handed them a bottle with a note telling them to meet him in the cemetery. Then they wandered about the market again for several minutes. Duna took the opportunity to sell several random odds and ends she'd collected over the last few days while Brynjolf closed up his shop and walked casually away. They let him get out of the market before Farkas followed his scent to the cemetery.

"I'm letting you in on quite the important secret here lass and lad..." Brynjolf said looking sternly back at the two of them. "Don't make me regret it," he warned before turning and waking into a larger crypt. He pressed a button in the center of the tomb and the whole tomb slid back, revealing a trapdoor. It definitely smelled like the Thieves Guild... which was not a pleasant smell... Farkas wrinkled his nose as they followed Brynjolf down into the cistern below.

Brynjolf ushered them quickly through the large chamber they'd entered, and Farkas could tell he didn't really want them to do much looking around. Farkas had enough time to register that there were a lot of people, a lot of water, and the whole place smelled strongly of that mildew and stagnant water scent that he'd noticed so faintly on Brynjolf. Then they were heading through damp, drippy stone hallways that eventually opened into an underground tavern that hung over a large pit of dark water. Brynjolf, meanwhile had been explaining to Duna how she'd find her guy once they got to the Warrens... there really was only one room down there with a sane person inside.

Farkas tried to listen, but he was a little distracted by their surroundings. He didn't understand how anyone could eat or drink in a tavern that smelled so badly...

But then the scent of blood hit his nose and he realized what a mess the tavern was in...

"The Ratway Warrens will be down this hall, and further down the stairs," Brynjolf finished explaining, pointing off to what looked like the tavern's entrance, but then he noticed the state of the tavern... "What the..." Brynjolf paused, looking around in confusion. The tavern was deserted with the exception of a blond imperial in leather armor, who was doubled over and bleeding.

Brynjolf swore and rushed to the man's side.

"Dirge, what the blazes happened in here?"

"Was just me and Vekle, and Vekle got away," the man coughed.

Farkas suddenly picked up on another scent that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end...

"Thalmor bastards..." the bleeding man continued, "lookin' for some old guy..."

"Fuck," Duna swore as she summoned her bow. Farkas drew his mace and shield and followed as Duna took off at a run in the direction Brynjolf had been pointing.


	29. A Cornered Rat

Farkas could guess by the smell that they were dealing with several Thalmor fighters, and probably some mages, but they had evidentially split into small search parties. Farkas and Duna came up on the first group only moments after charging into the tunnels. They were two Altmer in elven armor and they each had an elven mace. They looked for a moment that they would be difficult opponents, and Farkas smelled the crackle of electricity as one of them readied a lightning spell, but then...

"FUS RO DAH!" Duna shouted down the tunnel, forcing the two Thalmor to stumble backwards, giving her plenty of clearance to shoot them. Within moments there was a glowing daedric arrow imbedded in the eye socket of each Thalmor.

Farkas stopped in his tracks and just watched her for a moment... she didn't even need him... the two Thalmor were dead before he even had a chance to swing his mace...

But then he heard footsteps hurrying toward them and Farkas turned in time to not be surprised when two more Thalmor ran around the corner from another hallway. This pair consisted of a mage in robes and a fighter in armor.

Farkas bashed the armored one with his shield just as he began trying to cast the lightning spell. The sparks passed harmlessly down the wall and then Farkas lunged with his mace, coming down on the armored Thalmor, and dodging a stream of fire cast by the mage.

The armored Thalmor agent went down fairly easily, as Farkas's mace caved in the man's helmet, but the mage had backed a little ways back down the hall and began casting flames and sparks at him.

Farkas almost didn't get his shield up in time to block the flames from his face. Some of his hair singed and his arm was uncomfortably hot, but he still rushed the damn mage.

The electricity arched painfully across his weapon arm and Farkas let out a furious battle yell as his mace connected with the Thalmor's head. The mage didn't have a helmet, so once Farkas fought through the pain to get to him one hit was all it took. Blood splattered across the grimy stone walls as the mage fell to the floor and the crackle of sparks went out.

Farkas turned back to Duna to find her hurrying to his side with her hands lit with golden light.

Farkas smiled as she cast the healing spell. The magic was warm and soothing, and it smelled like Duna... he watched her through the gold light as she focused on his arm until all of his burns were gone.

"That feels good," he grinned. Duna smiled at him as the spell faded.

She looked like she was about to say something, but then, suddenly, an elven arrow whizzed down the hall and struck through her armor, right between her shoulder and collarbone... inches from her heart. Farkas's blood ran cold as Duna let out a startled cry of pain and he could smell her blood beginning to seep from the wound. To his relief she was quick to begin casting her healing spell again, so he directed his adrenaline into his furious charge down the hall.

There were four more Thalmor there, seemingly two groups rejoined coming toward the sounds of fighting...

"I've had enough of you!" Farkas yelled angrily as he rushed them, taking advantage of the narrow hallway to make it easier to keep his shield up to block their arrows and spells.

It went well at first... his shield blocked two arrows and he slammed his mace easily through the archer's bow and into the armor on his chest, ripping into flesh. The archer stumbled back and fell to the floor gushing blood, and Farkas slammed into the next Thalmor with his shield.

But then his muscles seized painfully as the mage in the back began casting lightning bolts over the other two and the electricity arched around him. Farkas staggered a little and one of the Thalmor managed to catch Farkas in the arm with his mace.

Most warriors would have probably dropped their weapon after a hit like that, but Farkas and his wolf spirit just got angrier. He pushed forward with another angry yell...

But then the mage hit him with more lightning, and it was all Farkas could do to hold his ground. The lightning hurt, but he refused to let them get passed to Duna. He could hear Duna behind him, fidgeting with her potion satchel and his heart sank... she must have used to much magic on him and had to resort to a healing potion. He had to buy her as much time as he could, he thought...

But then he suddenly heard her running up behind him, and moments later a soothing golden glow washed over him. The Thalmor was still hitting him with the lightning, but Duna had both hands on his back, healing him faster than the lightning spell could hurt him.

Farkas grinned as his strength returned and he shoved back against the Thalmor in front of him with his shield.

The three remaining Thalmor began to attack frantically, but their every hit was healed before it could slow him down. He could smell their fear and terror as he cut them down... he could feel his wolf spirit's blood lust surging within him... he felt invincible...

The last thing that mage saw was Farkas glowing with the golden spell and grinning as he brought the mace down onto the elf's horrified face.

Farkas took several moments to catch his breath and rein his blood lust back in once everything was finally still... it felt strange to be catching his breath after a battle and have no injuries or pains to recover from... but by the gods it felt great.

Duna was beside him catching her breath as well. If he thought she'd exhausted her magic before, she definitely had now.

"Well, that worked... well..." Duna panted as she reached for her potion satchel again.

"Real well," Farkas agreed with a chuckle. He watched curiously as she pulled her mask up to drink a potion from a blue bottle that Farkas recognized as the magica potions he'd never had any use for. Then she looked up at him with a tired, slightly sheepish smile without pulling her mask back down.

"Sorry I took so long to get to you," she apologized with a slight blush.

"No worries," Farkas chuckled, "just glad you did. You ok?" He asked looking worriedly at the bloodstained hole in her armor.

"Yeah," she nodded, "had to take a couple magica potions in order to cast that spell that long, but I got everything healed."

"Sorry, you had to waste so much energy on me," Farkas sighed sheepishly, but Duna cocked an eyebrow at him with a gentle smirk.

"Farkas, healing you will never be a waste," she smiled before leaning up on her tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on his lips.

Farkas's heart, and his wolf spirit, jumped excitedly at her words and he quickly kissed her back before she pulled away.

Then she gave him one more smile before pulling her mask back over her face.

"Let's go find this old guy," she said as she turned back down the tunnel. She sounded like she was still smiling.

"Lead on," Farkas grinned.

They followed the stinking, dark, drippy hallways to the place Brynjolf had described as the Warrens... the place made Farkas uncomfortable. There were several rooms that sounded like they held a variety of deranged people... Farkas couldn't understand how anyone could choose to live in a place like this...

Duna walked carefully to the room that Brynjolf had told them contained the only sane person down there. Farkas was relieved they didn't have to deal with the woman who was muttering something about a knife...

Esbern definitely seemed every bit the paranoid old man that Delphine had made him out to be. Farkas stood guard behind Duna while she argued with the man to let them in...

"Esbern? Open the door. We're friends, we came to help," Duna tried to persuade...

"What?! No, that's not me. I'm not Esbern. I don't know what you're talking about," the man's panicked voice rang out from behind the door.

Farkas snorted. He could hear through that lie even easier than he had the guards at the front gate.

"It's ok," Duna tried again, "Delphine sent me."

"Delphine?" He said almost excitedly, but then his suspicion returned. "How do you... so you've finally found her," the old man sighed grimly, "and she led you to me... and here I am, caught like a rat in a trap."

Farkas thought he sounded sad and resigned to his fate now. Duna sighed as well.

"Delphine said to 'remember the 30th of Frostfall.'" Duna replied, trying to sound calm and reassuring.

"Ah..." Esbern said slowly. "Indeed... indeed... I do remember... Delphine really is alive, then? You'd better come in then and tell me how you found me and what you want..."

Farkas sighed in relief and continued to stand guard while the man rambled on and slowly began trying to unlock all the locks on his door... from the sound of the locks, Farkas wasn't sure the Thalmor would have gotten in if they had found him first...

He tried to keep all his senses on alert for trouble, but all he could smell was the dank, musty air, mildew and refuse... he was eager to get out of there.

When Esbern finally got his door open Farkas was relieved to find the smell was a little less foul in Esbern's room. Farkas regarded the old man cautiously while he and Duna spoke... he seemed probably close in age to Kodlak, but Esbern was no warrior. While Kodlak had stayed strong in his old age, Esbern looked very frail. He was dressed in an old, simple, dirty tunic that had probably once been white, with dark pants and leather boots and a simple belt that hung loosely around his thin frame. Unless he could do some powerful magic, Farkas thought, he wouldn't just be useless in a fight, he'd be a liability.

Farkas continued to stand guard by the door while Duna explained the situation to him.

Since learning of the dragons' return, the old man had pretty well given up to despair, but upon learning that Duna was the Dragonborn, he'd suddenly become excited to get out of there and go find Delphine. Esbern rambled worse than a gossiping barmaid while he flitted about his tiny room collecting everything he thought he'd need. Farkas noticed there were several healing potions that Esbern hadn't bothered with, but Duna grabbed them.

Farkas was relieved they'd be getting out of there, but then he heard more footsteps out on the stone stairs... he couldn't smell much over the general stench around them, but he could hear the clink of light metal armor, which probably meant more Thalmor...

"Get ready for a fight," he warned in a low voice, making Duna and Esbern both turn to the door with a start. Farkas noticed with relief that Esbern looked ready to cast a spell... he just hoped it was a good one...

There were four more Thalmor that came after them as they made their way out of the Ratway. To Farkas's relief, Esbern did in fact know several strong spells, and was more useful in a fight than he looked like he'd be.

It was late afternoon by the time they got back to the upper levels of Riften. With the threat of Thalmor lurking around, neither Duna nor Esbern wanted to hang around Riften.

Duna was able to sell a few more trinkets and odds and ends that she'd picked up, and then they had enough gold to buy a third horse. The one for sale in Riften was another dapple, a gelding, and Esbern seemed plenty happy with him.

They left Riften only a couple hours later and Farkas was relieved to be leaving the fish and stagnant water smell behind.

They took the south road and rode until they reached Ivrastead about an hour after sunset. To Farkas's relief, Duna got a room for Esbern, and then a room for the two of them. Wilhelm had their usual room available and Farkas was happy to wrap Duna in a hug as soon as they were behind the privacy of closed doors. It had been a long day.

"What's gotten into you?" Duna asked with a slight giggle as she wrapped her arms around his middle to return the hug.

"Don't know," Farkas shrugged, "just happy to be with you."

"I'm happy too," Duna smiled, but then she leaned back with her nose wrinkled, "but could we maybe come back to this after we've washed up?"

"Good idea," Farkas chuckled as she pulled away and turned to gather her things.

But then his heart suddenly dropped... he realized they'd left Riften... and he never got the chance to even think about sneaking away to go buy a certain amulet...

When Farkas finished washing up, he finished writing his letter to Vilkas while he waited for Duna. To his delight, when she came back smelling like wildflowers again, she was quick to give him another hug. Then she went back to her gear pack and pulled out her journal. Despite there being two beds and plenty of space, she sat beside him to write, and sighed contently when he put an arm around her. Farkas loved having her snuggled up to him, feeling and sounding so relaxed and comfortable... this was a feeling he wanted to get used to... especially the feeling when she kissed him goodnight before she climbed into her own bed.

He didn't have his amulet yet, but for now at least, he was happy.


	30. A Brief Stop

Farkas handed his letter off to a courier the next morning as they set off for Riverwood.

Esbern didn't care to ride as fast as Farkas and Duna usually did... he frequently stopped to just admire something that caught his eye. Farkas tried to understand that the old man hadn't been out much, but it still drove him nuts. It was early evening by the time they made it back to Riverwood.

Delphine and Esbern had their happy reunion and then discussed with Duna what their next course of action should be.

Esbern had a tendency to ramble and Farkas got bored and zoned out. He tuned back into the conversation as Esbern pulled out a map to a temple of the ancient Blades.

"This is where they built Alduin's Wall," he pointed excitedly, "to set down in stone all their accumulated dragonlore. A hedge against the forgetfulness of centuries..."

Farkas stared at the map while Esbern rambled, finally, Delphine interrupted him...

"Esbern. What are you getting at?"

"You mean..." Esbern looked from Delphine to Duna to Farkas, "you don't mean to say you haven't heard of Alduin's Wall?" Esbern asked in disbelief, "none of you?"

"Let's pretend we haven't," Delphine said with a placating sigh. "What's Alduin's Wall and what does it have to do with stopping the dragons?"

Esbern sighed and shook his head. "Alduin's Wall was where the ancient Blades recorded all they knew of Alduin and his return," he explained. "Part history, part prophecy. Its location has been lost for centuries, but I've found it again. Not lost, you see, just forgotten..."

"So Alduin's Wall might tell us how to defeat Alduin?" Duna interrupted, directing him back on topic before Esbern could get rambling again.

"Well, yes," Esbern nodded as if that should have been obvious, "but... there's no guarantee, of course..."

"But it's our best lead," Duna shrugged, looking from Esbern to Farkas and then Delphine.

"Sounds like it," Farkas said with a shrug.

"Sky Haven Temple it is, then," Delphine nodded, "I knew you'd have something for us, Esbern."

"That area's gonna be crawling with foresworn," Farkas said looking back at the map, "we'll need to be well prepared."

"What are foresworn?" Duna asked looking nervously back at him.

"I don't know much about them, except they wear funny armor and they're hostile to pretty much everything."

At that Esbern set off rambling about the actual explanation of the foresworn and how they'd come to be and why they were hostile toward everything... Farkas pretty quickly zoned out, and he noticed it looked like Duna had too... Farkas was relieved when Delphine finally directed the conversation back to actually planning...

Farkas was also relieved that Esbern and Delphine seemed confident in their ability to get to this Sky Haven Temple on their own... Delphine figured they'd draw less attention traveling separately.

They made plans to meet near Karthspire, and then Farkas and Duna went upstairs for dinner while Delphine and Esbern stayed securely hidden downstairs.

While they ate and Duna awkwardly ate with her mask half up, a courier approached them hesitantly...

"Farkas of the Companions?"

"Yeah," Farkas nodded.

"Oh good," he glanced uncertainly at Duna, "do you know where I can find Duna of the Companions?"

"Yeah," Farkas chuckled, the man smelled like an honest courier with no trace of the scent of Thalmor... Farkas nodded his head toward Duna.

"You're looking for me?" Duna asked nervously raising her mask.

"I am. You are one difficult woman to find!" The courier complained as he reached into his satchel. Duna apologized and Farkas chuckled again. The courier handed her a simple folded piece of paper and took his leave.

Farkas watched curiously as she opened it.

"It's from Eorland!" She exclaimed a moment later, "says he's got something to show me the next time I can make it to Whiterun."

Farkas's heart leapt, it would be great to make a visit home... he had been trying not to think about it, but he really missed his brother.

"We could stop on our way to Karthspire," he suggested hopefully.

"Yeah," Duna smiled, "if he's got what I think it is, that'll be great."

Farkas couldn't help but grin the next morning as they walked through the familiar streets of Whiterun. Duna stayed close to him, but she didn't seem afraid. Farkas was so happy to be home, even if it was just briefly. As they walked up to Jorrvaskr he could smell the skyforge, and Tilma's cooking... he could also hear and smell several of the warriors training out back.... Njada and Athis were at one of the tables, Torvar was already back inside drinking... his brother was outside training with Ria and a person Farkas wasn't sure he recognized by sound and smell alone... he guessed that was Lydia.

"Don't smell Skjor or Aela," Farkas whispered to Duna as they approached the building, "they're either downstairs, or off somewhere."

"Alright," Duna nodded, "I'm guessing you want to see everyone..."

"I do," Farkas nodded, noting a little sadly that now she sounded nervous.

"Alright," she nodded again, "let's do that, then I'll go up to see Eorland."

To Farkas's surprise, she pulled her mask off upon walking in to Jorrvaskr, and she greeted Athis and Njada pleasantly once they got out to the back. (Not that Njada responded all that pleasantly, but that was nothing new.)

Vilkas was just calling a halt to their practice as Farkas and Duna stepped outside, and Farkas suspected his brother had heard and smelled them coming.

Lydia turned excitedly to nod respectfully at Duna, saying, "welcome home my Thane!"

Meanwhile, Vilkas put his training sword down and was quick to come up the steps and pull Farkas into a hug. They didn't need words, Farkas could tell Vilkas had missed him just as much as Farkas had missed Vilkas.

"I got your last letter just yesterday," Vilkas said with a slight smirk in Duna's direction once they finally let go of each other, "I assume this is a brief stop?"

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "we got Eorland's letter that he had something for Duna. Heading out to Karthspire after that."

"Aye, he mentioned something about dragon scales," Vilkas nodded.

"Oh good," Duna said excitedly, "I was hoping to make Farkas... some armor..." she trailed off blushing a little, which made Farkas's heart skip happily, and Vilkas chuckled.

"I'm glad it sounds like you two have been taking care of each other," Vilkas grinned.

"We have," Farkas replied as he put an arm around Duna's shoulders with a grin.

It turned out Eorland hadn't quite figured out how to craft anything with the bones yet, but he had a few ideas and was close. He had figured out how to shape the scales into something that would probably resemble light armor if it was done properly. Duna excitedly spent the entire morning learning how to craft the dragon scales from Eorland. Farkas meanwhile took the opportunity to sit and talk with his brother. He told him the things about Riften that he hadn't wanted to put in writing, and then filled in more details on events and encounters that hadn't made it into his letters.

"I'm a little worried about that prophesy," Vilkas said thoughtfully, once Farkas had finished filling in the details on their encounter with Ulfric. Farkas nodded uncomfortably, it had been one of the things he wanted to bring up with Vilkas... he wasn't sure what it would mean for him and Duna if Ulfric's prophesy was real...

"And," Vilkas added uncomfortably, interrupting Farkas's train of thought, "did she tell him 'no' or did she just tell him 'not now'? Because that could turn into a whole other problem..."

"She said no, and that she might reconsider if she 'was in a position to do so'," Farkas shrugged, "so, if she's with me she won't be in a position to reconsider."

"Hopefully the Jarl sees it that way," Vilkas sighed, "but with a prophesy like that he might try and claim he has a right to her..."

Farkas growled. That was part of what he'd been afraid of, but he hadn't wanted to think about it. That was the last thing Duna needed... another asshole thinking he had a right to her... with no concern for what she wanted... "no one has a right to her," he said angrily, "she has a right to be with who she wants."

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "might be best to avoid Windhelm for a while," he advised.

Farkas sighed and nodded.

"Don't worry too much," Vilkas added, "remember Anska, if there are other heirs of Ysgramor still out there, there may be other heirs of Talos out there too, the prophesy could involve someone else entirely."

"Maybe," Farkas said with a hopeful nod. "Now, tell me more about how interesting things have been here," Farkas changed subjects with a smirk.

"Well..." Vilkas glanced over his shoulder at Lydia who'd gone back to training in the yard.

"I see you're takin' care of Duna's housecarl," Farkas teased.

"Shut up," Vilkas smirked, and Farkas could tell he was trying not to let his face flush. "She's good. She was excited when your letter included the permission letter from Duna."

"Don't think I remember the last time you invited someone to join us," Farkas continued, still smirking, "you usually try to talk Kodlak out of letting newcomers in..."

"Like I said, she's good," Vilkas shrugged.

"Hold on, I think I've got the right quote for this..." Farkas teased, "Ysmir's beard brother, you're sweet on her aren't you?" Farkas gave his best impression of Vilkas, and Vilkas's face immediately turned red.

"Shut up," Vilkas growled, looking nervously over his shoulder at Lydia again.

Farkas just laughed. He hoped he hadn't been that obvious when Duna had first arrived... but then he probably had been, he thought, remembering Aela's snide comment after she'd lost the bet to Vilkas.

"Skjor's looking into where we should send her for her trial," Vilkas sighed a moment later. "Probably going to have her go clear out that problematic group of bandits north of the city... after Duna’s trial, Skjor and Aela are doing a bit more scouting before we choose though.”

“Ah,” Farkas nodded, that explained where they were...

Farkas and Vilkas sat out on the back porch talking through lunch and into the afternoon. It was nice to just be home, but Farkas was also glad he could hear and smell Duna working up at the skyforge from his seat at the table.

Lydia went up to talk to her after she finished her training for the day. He could only hear and pay attention to about half of the women's conversation, but it sounded like Duna was enjoying talking to her housecarl. He definitely heard his name come up more than once, and Vilkas's... at a few points he and Vilkas just paused to listen... but the women always got quieter when they discussed him or his brother...

Farkas was especially curious when he heard them giggling about something...

Then, around mid afternoon, the two women came down from the forge...

"Hey Farkas," Duna began slowly walking up to them. She looked from him to Vilkas and to the drink in Farkas's hand... "Lydia and I are going to collect a few supplies," she said with a smile.

"Want me to come?" Farkas offered.

"That's ok," Duna smiled at him, "we're not going far, and I'll have Lydia for back up."

"Alright then," Farkas nodded, trying to hide his disappointment, "be careful little rabbit."

"I will," Duna put a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment, he recognized the skip of her pulse that Farkas was starting to suspect meant she was thinking about kissing him, but she instead looked around at all the other Companions in the yard and just smiled at him.

Farkas chuckled and put an arm around her waist, pulled her to him and leaned up from his chair to give her a quick kiss. Her hand went from his shoulder to gently cup the side of his face while she briefly kissed him back.

The whole yard went quiet, but Farkas couldn't help but grin as Duna pulled back, smiling and blushing at him.

"We'll be back before dinner," Duna promised before she pulled her mask back over her face. Farkas watched her leave and then turned back to the yard to find Ria, Torvar and Athis staring in surprise at him.

"What?" He grunted at them, "aren't you supposed to be trainin'?"

They all quickly went back to their business and Vilkas chuckled.

"Ysmir's beard brother..." Vilkas shook his head, "even Skjor and Aela aren't that indiscrete..."

Farkas felt a bit of a flush rising up his cheeks... it was the first time he'd kissed her like that with anyone else around to see... but he didn't see any point in keeping his affections a secret... and Duna hadn't seemed to mind at all...

"Don't like sneaking around with this stuff," Farkas shrugged. 'I want everyone to know she's mine...' the thought ran through his head and Farkas wasn't sure if it was his own thoughts or the wolf spirit's... or both...

"You always were the blunt one," Vilkas shook his head with a sigh.

When the other whelps were finished for the afternoon Vilkas decided to challenge Farkas to a sparring match, and Farkas was excited to accept. It felt great to be home.

They were just finishing sparing when a sound that chilled Farkas's blood caught his ears... there was a dragon not far from Whiterun... in the same direction that Farkas had last caught Duna's scent on the wind...

Farkas swore, grabbed his real shield and mace and took a running vault over the wall...

"What in Oblivion... wait brother!"

Farkas heard Vilkas yell, but he didn't slow down. He was frantically trying to catch Duna's scent... why in Oblivion had she gone so far... he hadn't been worried because he'd trusted her not to go too far from him... why couldn't he catch her scent?

He heard the loud clank of heavy armor as Vilkas landed outside the wall as well and began running after him.


	31. Dragon Scales

Farkas assumed wherever Duna was, the dragon was likely going to be after her, so he ran toward the sound and smell of the flying beast... he was nearly to the road by the time he caught Duna's scent and he continued after it... just as he'd predicted, toward the dragon.

His heart raced. She had said she wasn't going far, why was she so far from him? Had the Thalmor ambushed her and carried her off up the north road? The memory of the elven arrow piercing her armor back in the Ratway flashed through his mind and made him run a little faster as he tried to push those thoughts from his mind.

Finally he heard the dragon's furious roars and Duna's responding shouts... at least that probably meant she hadn't been taken by the Thalmor... but what in Oblivion was she doing all the way out here?

"By Ysmir, what are they thinking?!" Vilkas yelled when they got close enough to hear Lydia declaring,

"You'll die this day, dragon!"

Farkas shook his head and kept running. He pulled his mace out as they crested a small hill and found the dragon grounded, snapping, roaring, and flailing at the two women. Farkas heard Vilkas swear and draw his sword. He could tell the dragon was already well bloodied, but he knew that didn't make it less dangerous. The brothers were just about to charge when Duna jumped onto the dragon's head, stabbing her sword through the top of its skull.

The dragon crumpled to the ground and Duna jumped down. Farkas saw the gold light that he recognized as her healing spell, and the dragon's flesh began to disintegrate as it's power flew to Duna... Lydia cheered in excitement and surprise...

"I've never had a fight quite like that," she said catching her breath.

"Congratulations, you just killed your first dragon," Duna replied... and then the two women... _laughed_...

Her words reminded Farkas of Bleakfalls Barrow... and then of seeing her skip and laugh down the trail afterwards... but Farkas wasn't laughing this time... he was angry, and honestly a bit hurt.

Why would she be so reckless? Why hadn't she brought him with her? Why had she gone so far from Whiterun without telling him? Had she been _planning_ to go after a dragon _without him_?

Farkas had been so scared that she was in trouble and that he wouldn't get to her in time... and here she was laughing... after jumping on a dragon's head...

"What in Oblivion is wrong with you two?" Vilkas yelled, finding his voice before Farkas did.

Both women jumped. Duna's laughter immediately faded as she saw the look on Farkas's face...

"Vilkas? How did you find us?" Lydia asked in surprise.

"We heard a damn dragon all the way from Whiterun!" Vilkas replied, clearly as angry as Farkas was.

"We handled it," Duna replied defensively, gesturing back to the dead dragon. "You didn’t have to come after us," she added with a hint of pride in her voice.

She didn't have a single care about how much danger she could have been in... she didn't realize how worried he'd been...

She could have _died_, and she didn't care... Farkas's wolf spirit was raging and for once, Farkas was in full agreement with it. His temper snapped.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Farkas yelled, throwing both hands in the air. Duna seemed to startle a little at his outburst... he wished she would take off that damn mask, he needed to see her face... "I thought you were in trouble and I couldn't find you!" He kept yelling... "Why would you go so far from me?!"

"We were chasing a deer, we didn't mean to..." Duna started to explain but Farkas kept ranting...

"I thought you were going to look for ore or going shopping!" he yelled, "Why didn't you tell me you were going hunting?! Why didn't you bring me with you?! What were—"

"I didn't realize I needed your _permission_!" Duna yelled much louder, cutting him off. Farkas suddenly realized he could smell her adrenaline rising to anger now... "I was trying to let you have a break for once!"

Farkas couldn't believe what he was hearing... she thought he needed a _break_? What did that mean? How long of a break?

"I don't need a break, I need to protect you!" He yelled back.

"I don't need you to protect me _all_ the time," she argued, "we handled this just fine!" Duna gestured angrily to the dead dragon again. She wasn't understanding the problem...

"What if you couldn't?" Farkas yelled, "what if the Thalmor found you? I COULD HAVE LOST YOU!!"

"Farkas, YOU DON'T _OWN_ ME!"

Her words hit like a slap in the face... Farkas stood frozen in place...

Was he acting like he owned her?

He just wanted to keep her safe...

He just couldn't bear the thought of losing her... she was his—

Wait...

Damn it...

Farkas realized somewhere in the last few days he and his wolf spirit had gotten very possessive...

That wasn't what Duna needed...

He took a slow, deep breath and let his rage begin to fade...

He looked back at the dead dragon behind her... she and Lydia had handled it...

Maybe she really didn't need him... She was the Dragonborn, and his shield-sister... he'd spoken for her to join the Companions because he believed she had the heart and the strength of a worthy warrior... but...

The last time he'd thought she didn't need him anymore she'd been shot straight through her armor only moments afterwards...

Besides that, he thought she wanted his help... after all they'd been through... all he'd helped her with... had she really just meant that she didn't need him...?

Silence fell for several moments and Farkas could hear Duna's pulse calming back down. After a few moments he could smell tears behind her mask... he wanted to run to her and wrap her in his arms, but her last words kept him rooted in place.

"Come on Lydia," Vilkas said in a low, tense voice. Farkas recognized the tone that told him Vilkas was still struggling to control his own temper... "let's let them talk this out."

"I'll be at Jorrvaskr, my Thane," Lydia said quietly to Duna.

Duna just nodded as Vilkas and Lydia walked away. They stood in silence for several more moments before Duna sighed and took off her mask. She rubbed her eyes before finally looking up at him.

"Farkas, I'm sorry," she whispered, "that... that came out wrong."

Farkas sighed... he didn't know what to say so he just waited for her to go on...

"We didn't mean to go so far from Whiterun, I got distracted. I'm sorry I scared you, and... I... I don't know, you looked so happy to be home, I thought I was doing you a favor by not dragging you away again... I'm sorry."

She looked back at him sincerely and Farkas instantly felt a little better, but her angry words still bothered him...

"I never meant to sound like I own you," he said quietly.

"I... I know you didn't," Duna nodded and wiped her eyes again, "You're nothing like the men I ran away from. I'm sorry I said that," she added quietly.

Farkas sighed in relief and finally stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. To his further relief, he felt her sigh and relax into the hug as she wrapped her arms around his middle.

He felt her take a shaky breath with her cheek against his chest plate.

"I would never have made it this far without you," she continued in a quiet voice. "I... it's not that I don't want your help, I do, but I don't want you to _have_ to protect me," she added, "I want you come with me and help me because you _want_ to, not because you have to... and... I want to be able to protect you too..."

Farkas hugged her a little tighter.

"I wouldn't go with you if I didn't want to..." he said gently, letting his lips brush the top of her head as he spoke. "It is nice to come home, but I like being with you," he added with a smile, "I care about you, I like protecting you... and you're strong... not the same way I am, but you're a warrior and a Companion too. And you _do_ protect me."

"Thank you Farkas," Duna whispered against his chest plate. She sounded like she was smiling now... "I care about you too."

Farkas let out a contented sigh at that and just held her in his arms for several moments, as he let go of the last of his anger and adrenaline.

"I'm sorry I yelled," he said sheepishly, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize you'd be so worried," Duna mumbled into his armor.

"Let's head back," he suggested, pulling back gently. He wanted to make the most of their time at Jorrvaskr.

"Help me collect these dragon scales first?" Duna asked smiling up at him, actually looking a bit sheepish herself.

"Alright," he chuckled.

Farkas helped her collect as many of the dragon bones and scales as would fit in their packs... it improved his mood even more that she left her mask off while they did so...

A few moments later she just paused, staring at one of the dragon scales and sighed.

"This is the second time a dragon has messed things up when I thought I was doing you a favor," she shook her head and looked up at him with an apologetic and embarrassed looking smile.

Farkas cocked his eyebrow at her, "second time you thought leaving me behind was doing me a favor," he said, giving her a slightly scolding smirk.

"Well, I won't do that again," she replied still giving him that embarrassed smile.

Farkas couldn't help but chuckle and he reached over and ruffled her hair.

"I'm glad," he grinned.

They fell into a much more comfortable silence after that. As he stuffed more scales into his pack another thought crossed his mind.

"What were you and Lydia talkin' so much about all morning?" He asked curiously. To his surprise, Duna blushed and smiled up at him.

"You and your brother mostly," she admitted, still sounding embarrassed.

"What about us?" Farkas chuckled, raising his eyebrow in surprise.

"Just girl talk," she shrugged, still smiling with an adorable blush across her cheeks.

"Uh... I don't know what that means," Farkas shook his head, hoping she'd elaborate.

"Just silly things like asking if you'd kissed me, and then about our first kiss... stuff like that..." she looked at her feet and Farkas could see her blush getting darker. Gods she was adorable...

"What'd you tell her?" He prodded with a curious smirk.

"The truth mostly..." she shrugged, still averting her eyes.

"Which is...?"

Duna looked up at him with an embarrassed smile... "that... our first kiss was very sweet... and made me happy."

Farkas grinned and closed the short distance between them. "Made me happy too," he said gently before leaning down to kiss her. Farkas let a low chuckle rumble through his chest as Duna eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He could smell, hear, and feel the stress and nervousness leaving her as they kissed, and that made Farkas even more happy...

But then a thought occurred to him and he pulled away slowly, looking down at her in confusion...

"How in Oblivion does that involve my brother?" He asked. Duna looked startled for a brief moment, but then her face lit back into a grin.

"Oh," she laughed, looking up with a mischievous smile, "because then I asked Lydia the same questions about him!"

"And...?" Farkas prompted curiously.

"She turned so red when I asked," Duna giggled, "nothing's happened yet, but I got her to admit she likes him..."

"That's good," Farkas chuckled, "she's the first person I can remember Vilkas actually inviting to Jorrvaskr. He's definitely a bit sweet on her."

"She also told me he literally stopped in his tracks when he first saw her at Dragonsreach," Duna giggled.

Farkas burst into a full laugh at that.

"Oh that's great," he grinned, "I'm gonna tease him!"

They got back to Jorrvaskr with still about an hour before dinner and Duna was eager to get back to working with the scales up at the forge. Farkas helped her carry the scales to the forge, and then went inside to make sure Vilkas and Lydia had made it back, and he still needed to talk to Kodlak.

...He had a lot to update Kodlak on too...

Fortunately Vilkas had been keeping him up to date with each letter.

When it was about time for dinner Farkas made his way back up to the forge to find Duna... Eorland had long since called it a day and gone home, but Duna was still diligently working. Farkas curiously looked over what she was working on... it was about half finished, and it looked like it was going to be a set of armor, similar to a set of steel plate armor, but instead of steel it had dragon scales... he cocked his head, watching her curiously for several moments... she was so focused on the armor, she hadn't noticed him approach... with a smirk he slowly walked up and put his arms around her waist... she started to jump, her pulse sounding startled for a moment, but she quickly relaxed and smirked over her shoulder at him. Farkas grinned and kissed her cheek.

"That doesn't look like it'll fit you," he commented in her ear.

"It's not supposed to fit me," she answered, blushing a bit as she turned back to the armor set. Farkas grinned more... it looked like strong armor that was one of a kind... he was honored she wanted to make something so nice for him... but he was more worried about the hole in her armor...

"What about your armor then?" he asked gently, still holding her around the middle.

"My armor's fine," she shrugged.

"There's a hole in it," he replied bluntly.

"I can patch that when I finish this," she shrugged.

"Don't you have enough scales to make a set for yourself too?"

"Probably..." Duna sighed looking up at the rest of the pile they'd collected, "after this afternoon at least... but that'll take a lot more time... that I don't think we have..." she set the armor down and turned to look up at him, "and I'd honestly rather have you in the best armor I can get you..."

"You don't have to worry about me," he reminded her gently, "make yourself a set first."

"Farkas," she looked up at him in mild exasperation, "I don't even think I have time to start over, we need to leave the day after tomorrow at the latest..."

"How 'bout you teach me how to make it, and I'll help make yours?" Farkas suggested with a smile. She raised an eyebrow at him in surprise and Farkas chuckled. "Smithing is one of my best kept secrets," he added with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I... I guess I can do that," she nodded slowly, "but what about your armor?"

"There're other forges in Skyrim," Farkas shrugged, "we can stop somewhere and finish it later."

"Alright," Duna sighed, begrudgingly turning back to pack up the half finished armor set.

Farkas grinned and kissed her cheek before taking her hand and heading down to the mead hall for dinner.


	32. Armor and Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one chapter in my outline, but it sort of turned into two when I got it all written out. So... two chapters at once, enjoy! :)

After dinner, Duna and Farkas spent a couple more hours at the forge and got a decent a start on an armor set for Duna. Farkas had never made armor for anyone but himself before, so he was a little worried about getting the fit right... fortunately Duna knew how to handle the fitting.

When they turned in for the night, Farkas was surprised Duna opted to sleep in the common room with the rest of the whelps. Farkas was thrilled she was feeling comfortable enough to do so again, but his wolf spirit was disappointed she wouldn't be sharing his room. Farkas did his best to ignore his grumpy wolf spirit as he pulled Duna into a close hug and kissed her goodnight.

When Farkas turned toward his room he found Vilkas standing in the hall between their rooms waiting for him.

"You're alright then I take it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"You two talked everything out..." Vilkas elaborated, still regarding him in mild surprise.

"Oh, yeah," Farkas nodded, "we're good."

"Was that your first fight?" Vilkas asked curiously following Farkas into his room.

"Guess it was..." Farkas realized... he thought he should have been upset by that, but he wasn't... he felt like he understood her a little better now...

She had a hot temper and didn't react well to being yelled at...

But she was quick to apologize and she cared about him... and she wanted to protect him...

Farkas suddenly realized Vilkas was waving his hand in front of his face. "What?" Farkas grunted.

"And?" Vilkas asked in exasperation, "everything's good again? That quickly?"

"Yeah," Farkas shrugged and sat down behind the bar in his room, "we both apologized and talked about it."

Vilkas just shook his head and sat down opposite him. "I envy you brother," Vilkas sighed, "sometimes I just don't understand how you can be so quick to forgive..."

"You're mad?" Farkas realized, slightly confused.

"Of course I am!" Vilkas snapped, "she nearly got herself killed just because she wanted to prove she's still doing her 'duty as a housecarl'!"

Farkas raised his eyebrows, realizing Vilkas was talking about Lydia... he was much more stuck on Duna's housecarl than Farkas had realized... Vilkas just sighed.

"I'm not like you," Vilkas shook his head, "I can't get over things so quickly... I can't ignore the rage of my beast blood..." he sighed again and put his head in in his hands... "I've hardly talked to Lydia all evening because the wolf inside can't decide if I want to keep yelling at her, or pin her down and... claim her..."

Farkas nodded sympathetically and handed his brother a bottle of ale. Farkas had known for a while that he handled his beast blood better than Vilkas did, but he hadn't realized how much better... it was strange to think that his smart, strong brother, who had always seemed to be a natural at everything— or at least at everything that mattered, was struggling with something like this...

Maybe he was just too smart to turn his brain off... Farkas did know Vilkas tended to overthink and worry, but he didn't understand why... Farkas knew Vilkas was stronger than the wolf spirit... so why couldn't Vilkas see it? Sometimes it seemed like Vilkas just wanted to be angry.

"You over think everything," Farkas replied bluntly. "Duna apologized, I could tell she meant it, and I don't like stayin' angry, so I'm not," he shrugged.

"Ysmir's beard brother," Vilkas grumbled, "sometimes you don't make any sense... you can just _decide_ to stop being angry?"

"Usually," Farkas nodded, "as long as whatever's making me angry stops..."

Vilkas shook his head and took a long drink from the bottle of ale.

Then, hoping to lighten the mood, Farkas added, "you should go talk to Lydia... based on what she told Duna, she might not mind that last option you mentioned."

Vilkas almost spat out his ale... "What?!"

Farkas laughed.

"Duna told me they were talking about us this morning," he shrugged, then with a teasing grin he added, "I heard you stopped in your tracks when you first saw her..."

Vilkas's face turned a little red, and Farkas could tell he was trying not to smile. For a moment it looked like the smile would win, but then Vilkas grunted and went back to the ale with a scowl.

"Stop tryin' to be grumpy," Farkas chuckled, reaching across the bar to punch Vilkas lightly in the shoulder.

"I'm not," Vilkas growled and slammed his bottle down on the bar. Farkas sighed, so much for lightening the mood, he thought. Vilkas glared back at him. "How do you just _ignore_ the call of the blood?" He asked, looking at Farkas in disbelief. "Do you _not_ have the wolf spirit raging inside?"

"I do," Farkas shrugged, "I just tell it to shut up."

"_For the love of Talos, brother!_ It's not that simple!" Vilkas snapped in exasperation.

"Because you won't let it be," Farkas replied simply, "you over think it, like you do everything. I know I'm stronger and more stubborn than the wolf, so I don't worry about it. I tell it to shut up and I ignore it. Sometimes that's harder than others, but that's just when I get to prove I'm more stubborn."

Vilkas just stared back at him for several moments, with a look of mild disbelief...

Then he sighed and just looked lost in thought for a few minutes before looking back to Farkas and picking his drink back up.

"How does your beast blood react to Duna?" Vilkas asked after a long drink of his ale.

"She's my mate," Farkas replied without thinking. Vilkas's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Farkas quickly clarified, "that's what the wolf has settled on, I'm still waiting till she's comfortable enough to have me... however long that takes."

Vilkas nodded slowly, "before today I didn't realize much difference in my beast blood... it's noticed other women before... as have I, but... today... when we thought they were in trouble..." he shook his head, "I haven't fought that hard not to turn in a while... since then... I don't know..." Vilkas shook his head, "I know she doesn't need me to protect her... but..."

"But you want to," Farkas nodded, and Vilkas sighed.

"I want to charge into battle with her... I want her at my side... I don't want her running off fighting a dragon without me, but... I don't know brother, I feel ridiculous. I've only known her a couple of weeks..."

"That's how I started," Farkas shrugged, "Duna shot a giant in the eye and she's had my attention since. You knew I was sweet on her before she even got back from bringing your sword to Eorland."

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "you wouldn't admit it, but you were pretty obvious... I don't think I can say I'm in that category... it's not like she's the first woman to catch my eye..."

"No," Farkas agreed, "we both thought Aela was pretty back when we were whelps."

"Aye," Vilkas grumbled, "but that's because Aela doesn't like to wear armor that covers her properly," he complained, "that catches any poor whelp's eye."

Farkas just chuckled at how annoyed that seemed to make Vilkas.

"I used to think Ria was sweet on me," Vilkas continued a moment later, "but lately she's taken to doting on Torvar and his drunken antics... probably for the best... I had nothing against her, but my beast blood lost interest after training her for a while... she whines when she complains..."

"So, just keep training with Lydia," Farkas suggested, "you'll get to know her, and either the wolf'll calm down, and she'll just be another shield-sister... or you'll end up like me... madly in love and willing to follow her anywhere..." Farkas shrugged and grabbed a bottle of ale for himself.

"Does Duna know you feel that strongly for her?" Vilkas asked with a curious smirk.

"Think so..." Farkas said thinking back... "Still haven't outright told her I love her, but the first time I kissed her, she told me she wasn't ready for anything serious, I told her I'd wait till she is..."

Vilkas just nodded and they sat in silence for several moments before Vilkas chuckled,

"By Ysmir, listen to us... I never thought either of us were the sentimental types..."

Farkas chuckled too. Vilkas finished his drink and Farkas handed him another.

Finally Vilkas sighed and a small smile slowly formed on his face...

"So... what did Lydia tell Duna about me?"

Farkas filled Vilkas in on what Duna had said. The brothers enjoyed talking a while longer, before they finally headed off to their own beds. Vilkas did eventually remember to scold Farkas and remind him to make saving the world his priority, to which Farkas had to respond by explaining why their next destination was Karthspire.

  
  


As Farkas tried to go to sleep he found it was too quiet in his room. He'd gotten used to hearing the quiet sound of Duna sleeping near by, it was strange to be back in his room alone. Grumpily, he got up and opened his door so he could hear the sounds of his brother sleeping restlessly across their small hallway, and he was finally able to roll over and force his wolf spirit to shut up.

The next morning Farkas and Duna set back to work on Duna's set of dragon scale armor. They took a short break after lunch, and Farkas had another good sparring match with Vilkas, but most of the day was spent by the forge working the dragon scales. Vilkas came up to watch them work and talk to them for a while, and then Lydia joined them with a bit of a sheepish glance at Vilkas.

By evening the four of them were comfortably sitting and talking about all manner of things, and Farkas was thoroughly enjoying himself. He was a little disappointed when Vilkas and Lydia went back inside for dinner, but he was glad to see them go inside together, and it was nice to be alone at the forge with Duna again. He was almost disappointed when they finished Duna's armor... almost... seeing her come back outside to the training yard wearing it made his heart race and his wolf spirit stir with desire... she looked even more like a strong and powerful woman... a legendary warrior... such a beautifully curved figure clad in _dragon scales_...

His wolf spirit began flooding his mind with thoughts of pinning her down and ripping that new armor off of her... that was his mate and he wanted to claim her... he wanted her bare beneath him... he wanted to fill her up till she bore his pups...

Farkas blinked as he began trying to silence the wolf spirit... he disagreed with his wolf spirit... he'd much rather watch Duna pull her armor off herself and then jump into his waiting arms... to have her excitedly giving herself to him... the idea of children was a surprisingly appealing one though...

Farkas blinked again and began trying to get his own arousal under control and silence the damn wolf at the same time. There were a lot of things they'd need to do before he could even think about figuring out if Duna would want a family... she hadn't exactly sounded happy about the idea when she'd mentioned her fear of becoming a 'baby-producing trophy'...

That reminder helped him focus and he turned his attention back to Duna's armor.

"What d'ya think?" He asked, grinning as she stretched and swung her arms, testing out the fit of the armor.

"It feels good," she nodded, looking back at him with a smile.

"It looks good," Farkas commented, stepping in close so he could touch and examine the scales on her shoulder plates... then leaning even closer to whisper in her ear he added, "especially on you."

"I'm glad you think so," she whispered with a smirk, and Farkas grinned as he heard her pulse speeding up excitedly and that enticing smell of hers got just a little stronger...

"Well, that's more development than I was expecting..." Skjor's voice suddenly startled them both.

Farkas had been about to kiss her but turned with a start to see Skjor and Aela walking up to the porch. He'd been too distracted by Duna to catch their scent sooner.

"Who knew the icebrain could be so sweet with his words?" Aela snickered.

"Shut up," Farkas growled, rolling his eyes. Of course they'd heard him, they smelled like they'd recently been in beast form, so their senses would be even more heightened.

Duna pressed a little closer to him, looking like a scared little rabbit again as Skjor and Aela approached.

"Calm down whelp," Skjor said, sounding a little amused as he looked around Farkas to Duna. "I don't agree with it, but I respect your decision. We're not going to push the issue."

"O-ok," Duna nodded. She stood a little straighter, but she still stayed just as close to Farkas's side.

Farkas reached easily down and took her hand in his, meeting Skjor's eye with a neutral expression as the older warrior looked from him to Duna and back again. Then Skjor looked back to Aela and the two shared a knowing look.

"But, the offer still stands if you change your mind," Skjor added casually as he and Aela began to make their way inside.

"It could come in more handy than you think," Aela said with a teasing smile at Farkas, and then to Duna she added more quietly, "especially if you want to be Farkas's _mate_..."

Duna's face turned bright red at that and Skjor and Aela both chuckled as they continued on inside.

"Sorry about them," Farkas grumbled.

Duna nodded and swallowed nervously. Farkas wanted to punch Aela in the face for that... Duna's pulse sounded and smelled nervous again... she still had a hint of that enticing scent he loved so much, but she looked lost in thought and her pulse sounded terrified...

But she was still holding his hand... at least she wasn't terrified of him...

Duna looked lost in thought through most of dinner, and Farkas wondered what was going through her mind.

After dinner they went back out to the yard and Duna got some training in with her new armor. Farkas enjoyed watching her move in it so much he almost forgot how annoyed he was with Aela... But then Duna decided to call it an early night, since they were planning to leave early the next morning, and she went down to the washroom and Lydia joined her... then Aela followed... Farkas didn't like the situation but he didn't see anything he could do about it...

Grumpily he quickly washed himself and got his things packed and ready to leave in the morning, then he sat in his room, waiting to smell the scent of Duna coming back up from the washroom.


	33. “A Word Before You Go...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A note to avoid potential confusion; I posted chapter 32 and 33 at the same time.)

Duna took twice as long in the washroom as Farkas had expected... but her lovely scent did finally catch his attention coming back upstairs... she still smelled a tad smoky from sitting up at the forge all day, but the scent of her wildflower soap blended with it nicely and she smelled like a wilderness campsite again. As her soft footsteps approached his room, Farkas realized she still had that stronger, enticing scent that was almost like honey... the one that made it hard for him to form coherent thoughts because he just wanted to hold her and kiss every inch of her when she smelled like that...

Farkas tried to maintain his composure as she came in and they discussed plans for leaving in the morning. As soon as everything was sorted and she looked like she was ready to kiss him goodnight, Farkas pulled her to his chest and kissed her lips desperately... her scent was driving him crazy...

Duna responded just as enthusiastically and wrapped her arms around his neck, actually pulling herself closer to him and running her hands into his hair. Farkas couldn't conceal a happy groan in response to that.

When their lips separated Farkas kept her held close against his chest and buried his nose against the side of her neck... she smelled amazing... without really thinking, he kissed her neck, eliciting a soft, adorable gasp from Duna. Farkas had never realized such a simple sound could be so arousing... he could feel her pulse pounding just beneath the skin against his lips, and he knew he would lose his control if he didn't stop right there...

With a deep breath, Farkas slowly pulled back and looked down into Duna's slightly flushed, beautiful smiling face.

"Goodnight," she said sweetly, before pulling gently away.

"Goodnight my little rabbit," Farkas sighed with a smile. Then she opened his door and hurried down the hall to the women's common room.

Farkas stepped out into the larger hallway to watch her go and found Skjor standing there regarding him curiously.

"So why isn't she your mate yet?" The older warrior asked bluntly once Duna was well out of earshot.

"She's not ready," Farkas shrugged.

"How in Oblivion do you figure that?" Skjor chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

"She's scared," Farkas said with another shrug, "scared it'll hurt, and I don't wanna hurt her."

Skjor laughed. "Boy you mean to tell me you still don't know what desire smells like on a woman?"

Farkas just looked back at Skjor with a confused raised eyebrow, and Skjor laughed.

"That," Skjor said, nodding his head down the hall with a smirk, "was not the smell of a woman who's afraid of you."

The dumbfounded look of disbelief on Farkas's face just made Skjor laugh more as he strolled back to his own room.

Farkas had even more trouble sleeping after that. He lay awake for several hours thinking about Duna's scent... Skjor had to be wrong... didn't he? It wasn't a new scent, he'd smelled it on her dozens of times...

But then he remembered the first time he'd noticed it that strongly... the night she'd woken up with a nightmare in Rorikstead... wrapped in his arms, pressed against his bare chest...

Was it possible she'd wanted him this whole time? If that were the case, why would she tell him she wasn't ready?

Skjor had to be wrong...

But gods, he loved that scent... he wanted Skjor to be right about it...

Then he remembered what Vilkas had said about her sounding conflicted... and her journal... that had to be it... she wanted him but she wasn't ready... that made sense... that boded well... didn't it?

And what had she been thinking so much about over dinner? Why had she taken twice as long as normal in the washroom? Was Aela in there with her the whole time? What was she telling her? With the way she'd come straight to his room afterwards... it at least couldn't have been bad... right?

What should he do now?

Farkas groaned and rolled over in his bed. He was over thinking things... the exact thing he'd told Vilkas not to do...

The wolf spirit wanted him to get up, go to Duna and breath in more of that delicious scent... and to make her his mate that very night...

So, that was exactly what Farkas was _not_ going to do... he would wait for her to sort out her conflicted feelings... he would continue on as he'd said he would...

They did have a lot of much more serious things to deal with first, he reminded himself...

  
  
  


Farkas finally managed to get a few fitful hours of sleep and woke, feeling rested enough, just before dawn. Duna wasn't up yet, so Farkas went and woke up Vilkas.

"Ysmir's balls, brother! What do you want?" Vilkas growled angrily.

"Just figured you'd sleep till long after we were gone if I didn't wake you up," Farkas shrugged, sitting in the chair beside Vilkas's desk.

Vilkas groaned and rolled over, slowly sitting up.

"Aye," he grumbled several moments later, rubbing his eyes, "I'm sure I would have." He reached to his bedside table and grabbed a stamina potion and Farkas watched in mild concern as he drank it like water.

"Not sleepin' well?" Farkas asked as Vilkas set the bottle down.

"Never do," Vilkas shook his head...

"Hmm," Farkas simply grunted in understanding. He never slept that well either, but he was beginning to realize Vilkas had a lot more trouble with it than he did...

"So," Vilkas sighed, slowly getting out of bed, "you're leaving for this Blade's temple?"

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "with horses we should still get there around the same time as Delphine and the old guy."

"Alright then," Vilkas nodded. "I'll be taking Lydia for her trial in a few days. Going to clear out some bandits. Haven't decided exactly where yet, but Skjor suspects the remaining rumors of blade pieces are Silver Hand traps, so I'll take Lydia on a more reliable trial, then we'll plan a more organized assault to go after the blade pieces."

"Makes sense," Farkas nodded. "You sort out how to forgive her yet?" he asked bluntly.

"Aye," Vilkas sighed, "I talked to her at dinner last night and she explained to me a bit more of the oath that a housecarl takes... it's an honorable job... I can't fault her for following Duna into danger. I don't expect she'll have any trouble passing her official trial, she's already proven herself as far as I'm concerned."

"Not a lot of people who can go fight a dragon without gettin' scared stupid," Farkas nodded, "you shoulda seen half of the Jarl's men at the watchtower, they were useless."

"I imagine so," Vilkas nodded, "the one we saw the other day was a terrifying beast."

"They are," Farkas nodded, "makes killing 'em that much more exciting though," he added with a chuckle.

"I'm sure it does," Vilkas laughed. "I suspect that was part of what kept my blood raging so long the other day," he added thoughtfully, "I was ready to fight, and then I never got to swing my sword at the beast."

"Well, we'll just have to bring you with us for one of these fights then," Farkas grinned.

"Aye, can't let you have all the honor and glory, can I?" Vilkas chuckled. Then he stretched and yawned. "By Ysmir," he grumbled, "I don't think that damn potion is doing anything."

Farkas was about to tell Vilkas he'd let him rest and say his goodbyes, but then Vilkas's face lit up suddenly lit up with a mischievous smirk.

"You have any more prank ideas to help keep me distracted while you're gone?" Vilkas asked.

"Uh..." Farkas just blinked in surprise for a moment, and then paused to think... "You could grease the hilt of Skjor's training sword," he suggested with a grin.

"That sounds like the fast way to Hircine's hunting ground," Vilkas shook his head.

"Njada or Athis's training swords then," Farkas shrugged.

"Maybe," Vilkas nodded, "Njada would probably be pretty funny..."

Then another thought occurred to Farkas...

"Hold on, I've got an idea," Farkas said with a smirk as he suddenly remembered the bottle of elixir they'd gotten from Brynjolf... he pulled the bottle out and and pulled off the extra tag that said to meet in the cemetery, and was pleased to find the remaining label listed most of the amazing claims that Brynjolf had been shouting in the market... "stick this in Skjor's pocket," he said handing the elixir to Vilkas.

"For the love of Talos..." Vilkas swore, looking at the bottle, "and how in Oblivion do expect me to get this into Skjor's... _why_ do you have this?" Vilkas cut himself of mid-sentence as he read the label on the bottle.

"Brynjolf," Farkas explained handing the extra tag to Vilkas as well, "potion was just a diversion to pass us a note."

"Ah," Vilkas nodded, "alright, but how am I supposed to put this into Skjor's pocket?"

Farkas thought for a moment... no one at Jorrvaskr, not even Vilkas, had ever seen him sneak about to pull a prank like this... but he didn't imagine he'd ever go back to life as it had been before he met Duna... he probably may as well show Vilkas how it was done...

"Alright, I'll show ya," he sighed. Vilkas stared at him in confusion as Farkas began to unstrap his armor. Once he'd set everything gently down and was barefoot in his linen trousers and undershirt, he took the bottle back from Vilkas. "Don't put your armor on and follow me... _quietly_."

They moved slowly out to the main hallway and Farkas paused to make sure he could hear the sound of Skjor still snoring soundly in his bed. When he was confident he could hear what sounded like Skjor and Aela both sleeping soundly, he crept silently across the hall and then paused to listen again. Vilkas didn't move near silently, but at least without his armor he was quiet enough. Farkas carefully eased Skjor's door open. He was a little startled, but not surprised, to find Aela was not on the other side of the hall in her own room, but in the bed beside Skjor. He could hear his brother's breathing and heartbeat behind him and knew Vilkas was feeling similarly caught off guard by this revelation...

Farkas motioned for Vilkas to wait by the door and then eased silently into the room with the two sleeping werewolves...

He was glad he'd made Vilkas wait outside the door, he could hear his uneasy pulse and thought that alone might wake Skjor and Aela if he'd come in...

Skjor's armor and enchanted potions pocket were sitting in a neat stack beside the bed, and Farkas slowly, silently made his way across the room to plant the large elixir bottle in the pocket.

To his relief neither of the sleeping werewolves stirred. He turned back to just as slowly and quietly make his way out of the room with Vilkas watching him in disbelief.

"By Ysmir..." Vilkas swore quietly once they were securely back behind the closed door of Vilkas's room. "You really could have made it in the Thieves Guild," Vilkas said, looking back at him in slight awe.

"If I wanted to," Farkas nodded, "you always had the more honorable skills... 's why I had to train so much to keep up," Farkas admitted, a little embarrassed.

Vilkas shook his head. "I might be more of a natural in heavy armor with an axe or great sword, but I've always thought you to be the more honorable of us," he admitted with a reassuring smile. Farkas looked back at him in bewilderment and Vilkas chuckled as he explained, "the Companions' life is all I've known and what I'm good at. It's always felt like the obvious choice for me... but you could do a number of other things, and instead you put in the extra work to keep up with me and be a Companion. It's impressive honestly." Vilkas clapped him on the shoulder with a warm smile while Farkas tried to process what his brother was saying... he'd never imagined himself as more honorable than Vilkas... the idea that Vilkas thought so was an utter shock...

"Though I still think brains aren't your strong suit," Vilkas laughed, pulling Farkas from his stupefied thoughts.

Farkas rolled his eyes, "thanks brother," he chuckled.

Farkas got his armor back on, hugged his brother goodbye, and was about to head upstairs to wait for Duna, when Kodlak stepped out to the hallway.

"A word before you go, boy," Kodlak said gently. Farkas nodded and quickly followed Kodlak back into his study. "I've been thinking about what you said about Duna and how you feel for her," he began in a fatherly tone as he sat slowly down in his chair, "I thought this might do more good with you than it will sitting in the bottom of my drawer." He slowly pulled out an old, fragile looking wooden box. Farkas sat down as well and accepted the box gingerly... it was about the right size to hold a dagger, but not the right weight...

Curious, and a little bewildered, Farkas opened the box to find an old, slightly tarnished Amulet of Mara.

Farkas just stared at it in shock. Kodlak pulled an old, worn looking gold ring out of his pocket and smiled reminiscently.

"My wife and I were much too young when she died," he explained sadly, "we never had children, but we at least had a few happy years... her name was Aylette," he smiled warmly, "she was a fine warrior, and she and I guarded each other's backs in more battles than I can recall, but I couldn't guard her from illness," he sighed sadly.

"I had no idea," Farkas said quietly.

"I doubt there's many still here that do," Kodlak shook his head.

"I don't know if you remember when I succeeded Askar as Harbinger, you and your brother were still quite young then," Kodlak began, "but what I doubt anyone here still remembers, is Askar had to come find me in Hammerfell and convince me to return to Skyrim. When Aylette died I travelled alone for many years before I made it home to the Companions, but I've always kept our old amulet and and my wedding band... I stopped wearing it for fear of damaging it in battle, but I've always kept it on me."

Farkas just nodded in surprise, he'd never even guessed any of this about the Harbinger... he'd thought he knew Kodlak so well, but he hardly knew a thing... he wondered if Vilkas had any idea...

Farkas's eyes trailed back to the amulet...

"I want you to have the amulet, boy," Kodlak smiled, "I feel it would be a proper defiance to Hircine to marry her properly under Mara's blessing before taking her for a mate as Hircine would have you do."

Farkas nodded again, slowly processing that idea... it made sense... he liked that idea... his wolf spirit did not...

"Probably still be a while before she's ready to get married, but I'll hold on to this while I wait for her," Farkas said, trying to wrap his mind around the enormity of this gift. "Thank you Harbinger," he added sincerely.

"Perhaps a legendary Companion with the strength of Ysgramor is what that prophesy meant by an 'heir of Ysgramor,'" Kodlak suggested with a smile.

Farkas's heart leapt and his mind reeled trying to process several emotions at once... shock that the Harbinger thought so highly of him was first... then hope... was it possible he could ever be so worthy? ...or so lucky?

"Thank you Kodlak," he smiled, getting up to give the Harbinger a hug.


	34. Sky Haven Temple

Farkas stashed his precious gift in his enchanted pack and headed upstairs. He considered going back to Vilkas's room to tell him what he'd just learned, but the sun was up now, and Farkas suspected that Vilkas, despite the stamina potion, had gone straight back to bed.

He popped into the kitchen and packed several provisions for the road, and Duna was making her way up the stairs by the time he finished.

Farkas couldn't help but grin as soon as he saw her in her dragon scale armor with the steel mask in her hand.

"Ready?" She asked, smiling back at him.

"Ready," he nodded. He watched as her eyes trailed across his armor and her smile faded a little.

"Hopefully we'll find a forge in Karthspire," she sighed, "I still owe you some dragon scales."

"Don't worry about me," Farkas shook his head, "you already gave me the best steel in Skyrim."

"That's an exaggeration, and you know it," she accused with a smirk.

Farkas just chuckled as she walked up to him and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Farkas gladly pulled her closer for that kiss.

They sat and enjoyed a hearty breakfast before heading out. Dapple and Boy seemed to be happy to be on the road again and they set off at a quick but comfortable pace down the western road.

They made great time, and the trip was mostly peaceful... mostly. There were a few wolves, and at one point they ran into some frostbite spiders, but that was it. They camped for a night, and Farkas struggled to ignore Duna's tempting scent; but his resolve to follow Kodlak's advice helped him maintain control of his wolf spirit, and he simply enjoyed her company as they ate dinner by the fire.

By mid morning the next day, they began to see the sprawling wooden platforms and shacks that Farkas recognized as a Foresworn settlement coming into view.

Farkas wasn't fond of the Foresworn... they dressed funny, they did creepy magic, they tended to associate with hagravens and witches, and they were violently hostile toward pretty much everything...

They would almost definitely kill Boy and Dapple... so at Farkas's suggestion they let the horses loose out in the plains at least a mile before they reached the settlement. He hoped they'd be alright, and that they'd be able to find them again... he was really growing quite fond of the animals...

As they approached on foot Farkas realized the settlement was tucked into a canyon, and actually much larger than he'd thought... he was going to suggest they try and sneak around them, but then the sounds and smells of a fight caught Farkas's attention. He smelled the taint of magic and blood on the air from several yards away and then they saw Esbern and Delphine appeared to have recently arrived and stirred up the whole encampment.

Farkas swore... what in Oblivion were they thinking? Four against at least fifty was a stupid idea in the first place, but they'd charged into this without even knowing that he and Duna weren't far behind.

"Divines... you think they did that on purpose?" Duna asked, looking nervously into the battle in the canyon.

"Pretty stupid if they did," Farkas shook his head.

"Guess we'd better back them up," Duna grumbled, "before my only lead on stopping Alduin gets himself killed."

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed. He rolled his eyes and pulled out his mace and shield while Duna summoned her bow. He didn't like these odds... "stick close," he added nervously. Even with Esbern summoning atronachs to fight for them, assaulting an entire encampment of strong enemies felt like a stupid idea.

Duna nodded. She smelled nervous but determined as she stepped a little closer to his side.

"I've got enough magica potions," she replied quietly, "if all else fails we can plow through them like we did the Thalmor in the Ratway."

The memory of feeling invincible with Duna healing him as he fought put a grin on his face and he suddenly felt a little better about their odds... "alright," he nodded.

Then he saw one platform explode with a fireball that was thrown by Esbern's flame atronach, and he got an even better idea...

It was an entire large encampment of Foresworn, at least fifty strong, and the crazy fools fought to the very last. Farkas's fireball staff eliminated several platforms worth of Foresworn, and Duna's conjured bow took down at least as many. He was pretty sure Duna was a better shot than Aela now... they made it halfway through the canyon before the remaining Foresworn managed to surround them... if he had been fighting beside anyone but Duna, Farkas would have been certain they were done for... he wasn't even sure his beast form could have taken down that many... not by himself at least... but with Duna beside him, that was a much different story.

Duna dispelled her bow and simply stood at his back casting her healing spell with both hands as he charged through the rest of the Foresworn with his mace in one hand and the fireball staff in the other.

Farkas was impressed by how well she kept up with him, he'd been expecting to have to slow down, but he didn't, she was quick and stayed right behind him with every step as the rest of the Foresworn fell.

They finally got through the encampment to the bottom of the canyon where Esbern was excitedly examining what appeared to be the entrance of an ancient underground fortress. It seemed that she and Esbern had managed to slip through while he and Duna cleaned up the rest of the fight.

"Good timing," Delphine nodded in greeting as they approached.

"No kidding," Duna grumbled, "did you have to stir up the whole fucking civilization?"

"They were Foresworn," Delphine shrugged, "there's no reasoning with them, and if this is going to be our new base of operations they were going to have to go anyway."

Farkas just grunted in frustration at her response and Duna sighed irritably as Delphine continued after Esbern.

Farkas turned his attention back to the ancient construction. It was well hidden from above in the canyon... Farkas wondered if the Foresworn had any idea what they were encamped over.

"This looks promising," Delphine commented curiously following Esbern.

"Yes," Esbern nodded. "Definitely early Akaviri stonework here."

Farkas couldn't figure out what he was so amazed by, they looked just like the rocks in any other ancient buildings to him...

Their path wound through a deep cave before finally opening into an open cavern with a set of stairs that led to a set of old looking stone pillars...

The pillars seemed to be a dead-end, but Farkas figured if the ancient Blades were anything like the ancient Nords, that meant there was bound to be some sort of puzzle locking mechanism...

Delphine seemed to be thinking the same thing, commenting on the pillars, which prompted Esbern to begin trying to explain what the different symbols meant... while they figured that out, Farkas turned his attention to watching for trouble. He could still smell the blood and charred corpses from the battle they'd had above, but down in the canyon, besides his companions, he only smelled the running water, wet stones and dirt, and faint traces of very ancient magic...

"Well... I'm the Dragonborn, so..." Duna shrugged, pulling Farkas's attention back to the pillars. Apparently one of the symbols meant 'Dragonborn'... Farkas looked back to see Duna begin trying to turn one of the ancient pillars.

Farkas was about to step forward and help; the ancient looking stone didn't look like it would budge easily, but the pillars seemed to respond to her touch, and Duna was able to turn each one with ease. Once all three showed the symbol that Esbern had said meant 'Dragonborn' Farkas heard a deep rumbling of old gears turning somewhere behind the ancient walls, and moments later a large stone bridge crashed down in front of them.

"There we go!" Delphine said excitedly heading across the bridge and Esbern followed.

Duna sighed and took her mask off. Farkas raised his eyebrow curiously at her.

"I'm guessing it's probably going to be more useful to be able to see properly in here than it will be to hide my face," she explained with a shrug.

"Ah," Farkas nodded. He was happy to see her face... her hair was matted with sweat, and Farkas could definitely smell that they'd been camping the night before and then fighting their way through the Foresworn... she needed a bath as badly as he did... but her face was still a lovely sight.

"What?" Duna asked suddenly cocking her head at him in confusion, and Farkas realized he'd been just standing there grinning at her.

"Just like seeing your face," Farkas shrugged. He didn't see any point in trying to think up a lie. "You're beautiful..." he heard Duna's pulse skip at that and an embarrassed smile spread across her face.

"Farkas... I... really?" She blushed, "I... I haven't put my makeup on since before I left Cyrodiil... I haven't had a bath... I can feel how gross my hair is..."

"I didn't say you don't need a bath," Farkas laughed. He reached out and ruffled her hair, making it stick out in funny places, looking quite ridiculous. Farkas laughed harder.

"Hey!" Duna protested and began trying to fix her hair with her fingers, blushing even more. Farkas just watched, smiling as she gave up and pulled out the dragon scale helmet he hadn't been sure she'd need. "Tell me I'm beautiful, then tell me I need a bath," she grumbled with a smirk, still blushing as she put her mask away. Farkas chuckled again.

"Dirt doesn't change your eyes or your smile," he shrugged when she looked back up at him, "you're beautiful." He smiled warmly as he heard her pulse jump again, and she smiled back at him.

"Thank you Farkas," she said shyly. Then she reached forward and took his hand, "let's catch up before they do something stupid again."

"Alright then," Farkas smiled.

They caught up to the two Blades in time to hear Delphine ask, "why are you stopping?"

"We should be careful here," Esbern replied. "See these symbols on the floor?"

Farkas looked up ahead and saw what looked like the entire floor for several yards was covered in pressure plates. Each plate had the same symbols that had been on the pillars at the entrance.

"I see a path," Duna commented a moment later, "probably has to be me..." she looked back at Farkas and he nodded encouragingly at her, ignoring his wolf spirit's growl of protest. She was the Dragonborn, she could do it... Farkas was starting to get the distinct impression that this temple was set up to be only accessible by a group led by Dragonborn... but Farkas still watched nervously as she stepped out onto the plates. He heard the click of each plate sink as she stepped on it, but no traps triggered... she walked a meandering path, following the Dragonborn symbols until she reached a pull-chain in the wall and pulled it.

With a loud clank all of the plates dropped slightly and everything was still. Farkas released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and followed Delphine and Esbern to join Duna on the other side.

That path soon led them into a large chamber that was open to the sky with a huge stone face carved opposite the entrance, a large ornate chest in the center, and a series of strange looping patters carved in the floor with enchanted light pedestals around it.

"Wonderful! Remarkably well preserved, too," Esbern marveled as he walked into the chamber. "Ah... here's the 'blood seal,'" he said suddenly stopping at the rings on the floor. "Another of the lost Akaviri arts. No doubt triggered by... well, _blood_. Your blood, Dragonborn. Look here!"

"What?" Farkas turned in alarm as Esbern motioned Duna over to the seal on the floor.

"How much blood?" Duna asked nervously.

"Only a few drops I'm sure," Esbern shrugged, "this seal would have been designed to make the temple accessible to the Dragonborn, not to cause harm... I think..."

"Reassuring..." Duna grumbled. Farkas watched uncomfortably as she pulled out her dagger and made a small slice across her right hand... just enough to spill a few drops of blood on the seal in front of her. The scent of her blood agitated his wolf spirit... made him want to charge to her side and rip her foes to pieces... he had to take several deep breaths while he watched her, reassuring himself repeatedly that she was ok... there were no foes to destroy at the moment...

He jumped forward with a start when the floor began to move as the seal activated with a white light... Duna jumped back and Farkas caught her with a reassuring hand on her back (though, he wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself).

Slowly, the large stone face shifted backward and up, revealing a doorway.

"Well at least it worked," Duna sighed as she quickly cast her healing spell. Farkas nodded in relief.

Esbern or Delphine said something about the Dragonborn should have the honor of entering first, but Farkas wasn't paying either of them much attention. He stayed close to Duna, listening and smelling for any signs of trouble as he followed her into the temple. The air inside felt ancient and undisturbed... and a little ominous... it was almost like he could still smell the murderous intent from the ancient dragon hunters... Farkas wasn't sure he liked the place...

It was dark inside, but Esbern wasn't far behind them with a torch and they could soon see they'd made their way into a large room, with a simple table in the middle, and a large, intricately carved mural at the back. In someways the long table looked like it should be a feasting table... but this was certainly no feasting hall...

He couldn't put his finger on why, but Farkas was getting the impression that the Blades were a very different group of warriors from the Companions... maybe it was just that the room had been unoccupied since... what era did Esbern say? ...whatever... the chamber had been unoccupied and undisturbed for a long time... maybe it would feel less cold and hostile once Delphine and Esbern got themselves set up...

Esbern took his sweet time strolling up to examine the mural and Farkas got bored waiting for him... he began rummaging in his enchanted pack... he was sure he'd put at least one torch in there a while back... he was pretty sure he hadn't used it or taken it out... and he found it.

"Oh good," Duna whispered in relief as Farkas lit his torch, "let's see what else is here..."

Farkas grinned and they set about exploring the attached rooms while Esbern rambled on some more about all the ancient art styles and carvings.


	35. ...Then Everything Went Black

Duna had been beside herself with excitement when they found a shockingly well preserved full set of ancient Blades armor. It was a nice set of steel plates with blue leather in between, and it fit Farkas surprisingly well too. It was heavier than the steel he'd been wearing by a fair amount, but it seemed like it would also stand up to much more as well... Farkas just hoped it wouldn't slow him down too much... he definitely enjoyed the smile on Duna's face when she saw him wearing it...

When Esbern had finally finished his ramblings and had time to study the mural in the back of the large room at Sky Haven Temple, he figured out that they needed a particular dragon shout to defeat Alduin... and of course neither Delphine nor Esbern knew anything about that, so they were heading back across Skyrim to go talk to the Greybeards.

Farkas was a little annoyed they hadn't gotten any time to rest, but Duna was quick to point out that if they could still find Dapple and Boy, they could be in Rorikstead by dark. Farkas was much more inclined to spend the night in Rorikstead than in that ancient temple.

They made their way out to the plains where they'd left their horses, and to Duna's delight, thanks to Farkas's sense of smell, they were able to find them. They weren't far from where they'd left them, just grazing contentedly.

Farkas chuckled as Boy recognized him and trotted over to him.

"Hey Boy," Farkas said calmly, rubbing the bay's forehead. The horse nuzzled into his hand, and Farkas smiled and scratched behind his ears.

Dapple trotted excitedly over to Duna and Duna pulled an apple out of her pack and fed it to the happy mare. At that, Boy nudged Farkas's shoulder with his nose.

"What?" Farkas asked looking back at his horse. Boy nudged him again insistently. "I don't have an apple," Farkas replied holding his hands out to show the horse they were empty. Boy gave a snort that sounded a lot like a grumble.

"Here," Duna laughed, pulling another apple from her pack and tossing it to Farkas.

"Happy now?" Farkas chuckled, rubbing the horse's forehead again as Boy enthusiastically munched down on the apple.

"Well they seem happy to see us," Duna commented, smiling as she stroked Dapple's neck.

"Yeah," Farkas agreed with a smile.

They made the easy ride north to Rorikstead and the small farming town was coming into view just as the sun was setting.

"Shoot, I almost forgot," Duna said suddenly pulling Dapple to a stop. "Civilization..." she grumbled as she pulled her helmet off to put her mask back on.

"Ah," Farkas nodded. He was glad it wouldn't be long before she could take the mask back off.

"A bath and a bed is going to be nice though," she added with a sigh.

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed with a smile... remembering how close together their beds had been at the Frostfruit Inn...

Once again, the innkeeper had no problem with Duna's request for a room with two beds. Farkas was also happy to sit and eat more of that vegetable stew while they waited for the innkeeper's son to haul an extra bed into a room for them.

"Maybe we should have joined the Thieves Guild for just a little while," Duna grumbled as she ate with her mask haphazardly pulled partially up, and Farkas raised an eyebrow at her in confusion... "just long enough for them to give me one of their hoods, so I wouldn't have to deal with this damn mask," she explained.

"Ah," Farkas chuckled sympathetically. He really needed to find her something better than that mask... maybe he could make something... if he ever had the time...

They finished dinner and Duna was excited to make for the washroom. When she was finished Farkas went and washed as quickly as he could. He couldn't hide his grin when he got back to their room and the scent of Duna's wildflower soap reached his nose.

Duna was sitting on her bed, in her sleeping tunic, writing in her journal. Farkas's heart began to pound as he looked again at how close the two beds were... wedged together in the center of the room... he thought about kissing her goodnight and then laying down right beside her... like a married couple... gods he loved that idea...

Farkas turned to take his shirt off and try and settle his pulse, but his heart only pounded faster when he heard and smelled Duna's subtle reaction to seeing his shirt come off... when he turned back to face her, she looked to be very intentionally not looking at him, with a light blush across her cheeks, writing in her journal. Farkas chuckled as he climbed into his bed... he heard her pulse increase and she looked like she was trying even harder not to look at him. With a grin, Farkas climbed across to her bed and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. She took a startled sounding breath and closed her journal as Farkas leaned forward to kiss her cheek...

"What're you writin' about now?" He asked with a smirk.

"You," she admitted in a whisper. Farkas's heart jumped and he grinned... he could feel the blush rising from her neck to her cheeks... he could hear and smell her blood pounding through her veins... she was practically trembling in his arms... she smelled like a mix of excitement and fear...

"What about me?" He asked with a grin.

"Just... thinking how lucky I got to have found you," she looked back at him with a shy smile. "Think I'm the lucky one," Farkas grinned and brought one of his hands to gently cup the side of her face, but before he could lean down and kiss her, she leaned up on her knees and kissed him. His hand on her cheek fell naturally along the side of her neck and his other arm wrapped more tightly around her waist as he kissed her back. He gently moved his hand to tangle up into her still damp hair and simply lost track of time. Duna's hands roamed gently across his shoulders and then up the back of his neck and into his hair. It crossed his mind several times that he wanted more... wanted to reach lower... to run his hands along the curves of her hips and bottom... wanted to pull her tunic off to see, feel, and taste her breasts... wanted to feel her bare skin against his... to let her touch him wherever she pleased...

But despite the eagerness she kissed him with, Farkas remembered she still smelled afraid... he also remembered Kodlak's advice, and the amulet that was sitting in his pack... so despite his wolf spirit's internal growls of protest, Farkas ignored the bulk of his urges, and just held her and kissed her. As they kissed, they slowly eased into a more comfortable position, Farkas leaned back against the headboard with Duna against his chest. Farkas loved having her clinging so comfortably to him.

He thought about telling her that he loved her... but he hadn't quite worked up the nerve when they finally separated and Duna smiled sleepily up at him. She looked like she wanted to say something, her pulse spiked for a moment, and she appeared to change her mind and just rested her head against his shoulder with a sigh.

"W-we should get some sleep," she said quietly instead.

"We should," Farkas agreed with a sigh.

Duna raised her head and gave him one more kiss before she sat up and pulled away from him. Farkas made his way back to his own bed and just watched longingly as she settled in under her own blankets... those damn blankets... really the only thing keeping their two beds from being one... he wanted to wrap her in his arms and just let her sleep, laying across his chest like that... Farkas sighed again and got under his own blankets... the way she blushed when she told him goodnight kept his pulse racing. It took him even longer to fall asleep, but Duna dozed off quickly, she smelled happy and comfortable and slept soundly, which made Farkas happy. Maybe he'd find the nerve to tell her he loved her tomorrow night in Ivrastead... if that went well, maybe he'd even pull out the amulet... he'd told Kodlak he expected it to still be a while before she was ready... but if she smelled this comfortable sleeping beside him... maybe she was more ready than he'd thought... she at least seemed comfortable enough to tell him 'not yet' instead of running away if she wasn't ready...

He finally dozed off staring at the outline of her curves under the blanket, imagining going back to Riften for a much more enjoyable trip.

They set out at sunrise next day and made it to Ivrastead by mid afternoon. Duna figured it was just enough time to hike up the mountain, speak with the Greybeards, and then make it back to the inn to sleep. Farkas was looking forward to the 'back to the inn' part... he'd been thinking about how to tell her he loved her most of the day... which at the very least had him in a good mood.

They stabled their horses and set off up the mountain. As they climbed Farkas began to really notice how much heavier the Blades' armor was from his steel or the Companions' armor. When they got into the snowdrifts he found himself sinking deeper into the snow and moving much more slowly than he was used to.

Only moments later, not long after they'd reached the snow, Farkas noticed something else... a scent he didn't like... leather and moonstone, and magic... Thalmor...

"Hold on," Farkas whispered suddenly throwing a hand out to stop Duna. Duna froze, looking from his expression to their surroundings, her pulse speeding up nervously as she summoned her bow.

Farkas focused all his senses on their surroundings... he could hear them... hidden along the trail in front of them... over a dozen Thalmor soldiers...

"Thalmor ambush," Farkas growled in a low voice, pulling out his mace and staff.

"Shit," Duna hissed.

Then...

"The bastard's seen us, NOW!"

Farkas narrowly dodged out of the way as six elven arrows flew from various points off the path... they were clearly not aiming at Duna...

Duna took several steps back and began firing arrows back in response. Farkas put a fireball into the faces of the first five that charged out of cover, but four more came behind them.

The Blades armor stood up well to their swords, but he was too slow fighting back with it... there were just too damn many...

Farkas threw another fireball back into the line of archers and there were at least fewer arrows to dodge. Farkas almost had a Thalmor soldier get into his face as he partied another elf's sword, but a dark purple arrow whizzed past him and into the man's throat, dropping him before his sword made contact.

Then Farkas heard Duna swear and pull out her sword. Several Thalmor were thrown straight off the side of the mountain with a "FUS RO DAH," but more just kept coming.

Farkas had just bashed his mace into the face of another Thalmor, when an elven arrow struck him in the forearm. It wasn't a critical hit, he should have been able to keep going... but with the arrow came that awful numb feeling that he'd felt before... Farkas swore as he lost feeling in his legs and dropped to the ground. He heard his mace clatter out of his hand against a rock as the rest of him hit the snow.

"Celeste!" A Thalmor bellowed as he stepped in front of Farkas, "stand down or your Nord pet dies!"

Farkas growled and tried with all his might to make his muscles move.

"Farkas!" He heard Duna cry out from somewhere behind him.

"Don't... listen," Farkas yelled back desperately. Three of the Thalmor rolled him onto his back and he glared up at the leader who was pointing a sword to his chest. 'Coward,' Farkas thought angrily. Then he realized he didn't hear Duna still fighting... he heard her mask drop into the snow...

"No..." he struggled, "Duna, don't..."

"Erremus don't hurt him!" Duna screamed. Farkas saw an evil, sneering grin curl across the Thalmor's face.

"Looks like I guessed right," the elf chuckled, "you've gone and thrown away your sensibilities over a Skyrim mutt."

"But if I go with you..." Duna said in a trembling voice...

"Don't..." Farkas grunted frantically.

"...do you promise to let Farkas go?"

"Of course, my dear _sister-in-law_," the elf grinned. It was a lie. Farkas let an angry growl rumble through his chest as he heard Duna's pulse kick up more fearfully.

"No..." Farkas choked as he struggled to make his muscles move.

"Oh... I see no one's told you the good news yet," the elf said with another sickening grin, "your father signed all the paper work and documents last week... you are, legally, Aranman's _wife_..."

Farkas could hear Duna's pounding pulse becoming frantic, and his was racing almost as much.

"It's well past time for you to be a good little girl, and come home to your husband," the elf added.

"A-and... if... if I do..." Duna trembled, "y-you pr-promise y-you won't hurt Farkas...?"

"Duna don't!" Farkas gasped from the snow.

"If that is your request, my dear, he will be left here unharmed," the elf smiled reassuringly.

Farkas heard Duna swallow nervously and begin walking toward him.

"Don't... trust... him!" Farkas strained to move but it was no good.

"C-can I heal him and say goodbye?" She asked in a small voice.

"I suppose it can't hurt if you're agreeing to come home," he said with a bored sounding sigh.

"Ok, I... I just need a minute," she replied. Farkas finally saw her beautiful face lean into view... she looked terrified as her hands lit with gold. As the magic began to flow into his body she leaned down to whisper to him.

"I have a couple shouts that can get me away once they lower their guard," she breathed in a whisper so quiet even Farkas barely heard it, "I know you can find me. I'll—"

She was cut off as the Thalmor suddenly lunged forward and slashed a small elven dagger across her arm. Duna screamed, and Farkas could smell the poison. His heart felt like ice... he still couldn't move. All he could do was yell as he was forced to watch as Duna's body went limp in the elf's arms.

"You bastard!" She growled as two more Thalmor came and carried her off.

"Oh my poor, foolish sister-in-law..." the elf chuckled as he stepped closer to Farkas. "I'm not foolish enough to believe that this mutt wouldn't come after you..."

The Thalmor lobbed a lightning bolt spell into Farkas's chest plate, and Farkas yelled in pain and fury... he had to move... every fiber of his being screamed at him to move... but his muscles just wouldn't listen...

With a sickening grin, the elf calmly wedged the tip of his elven great sword between the lightning damaged plates of Farkas's armor, and then thrust the sword into Farkas's chest.

The pain seared through him as Farkas felt the sword sever muscles and pierce one of his lungs. He couldn't yell anymore... his muscles still wouldn't respond... he'd failed... the bitter realization sank in as his vision began to darken... this was the end... he felt horribly stupid... the world was going to end, because he had failed to protect the Dragonborn... failed to protect his love...

The last thing Farkas heard was Duna frantically screaming his name... then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags were updated with this chapter...


	36. Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That cliffhanger made me ansty, so I got the next chapter done a little ahead of schedule...

  
Darkness... nothingness... he had no feeling... there was only his own bitter awareness...

Everything was dark...

Then, Farkas began to barely sense the massive beast form of Hircine, prowling slowly around the edges of his perception... waiting... just watching and waiting...

Farkas got ready for a fight... he wasn't ready to go to Hircine's hunting ground... not yet... Duna needed him... the world needed Duna and Duna needed him... he couldn't go yet...

Then suddenly there was a sharp burn in his chest and Hircine's form seemed to retreat just a little...

Everything was still dark, and Farkas was sure Hircine was still there, but then he also heard a voice... it was a masculine voice that he should have recognized... and it was calling his name... then slowly more words came into focus...

"Divines no..." the man was... _crying_... "please no..."

Farkas knew that voice well, why couldn't he place it?

"Ysmir... not my brother... please not my brother..."

Farkas hadn't heard Vilkas cry since they were whelps... but even then it was rare. Vilkas had always been the one to comfort him... Farkas had been the one who cried and blubbered like a baby... Vilkas was the one who got angry. On the rare occasions Vilkas did cry, it was always silent, angry tears... but now... Vilkas was _sobbing_... Farkas couldn't process what he was hearing...

Then Farkas could feel a thick liquid running down his chin... it was spilling out of his mouth and running down into the wound in his chest. It burned and it tasted awful... Farkas still couldn't see or move, but he began to feel cold... which was at least something, he thought.

"Vilkas, it... it's not going in... y-you're just wasting potions," a trembling female voice choked. "We... we need to go after..."

"No," Vilkas growled, but it was a defeated sounding growl... "not yet..." he sobbed.

Then Farkas felt firm hands on his jaw and the rim of a bottle forced into his mouth... the foul tasting liquid of a healing potion poured into him, and at least half of it managed to burn its way down his dry throat... more feeling slowly came back to him...

He was propped up against Vilkas, still in the snow... his chest felt like he'd been ripped open... the potion that hadn't made it down his throat ran down his chin and down to his chest where it flowed into the wound and burned more.

"Vilkas... he-he's gone..." the gentle feminine voice was thick with tears.

"He was supposed to be too stubborn to die..." Vilkas choked with another sob as he tossed the empty bottle aside.

As Farkas's senses came slowly back he could smell the tears of grief on his brother and on the woman beside him... and he smelled blood... a lot of blood... and a lot of it was his own blood....

Moments later Farkas heard Vilkas growl stubbornly and another bottle was shoved into his mouth. More of that one made it down his throat and he choked on it a little.

"Farkas!!" Vilkas yelled in surprise as Farkas began to cough. He heard the woman beside them gasp in shock, and Farkas felt his brother's strong arms force him into a more upright position. "Come on brother, drink," Vilkas coaxed, forcing another potion into his mouth.

Farkas obeyed, choking down the awful tasting potion, and more feeling and senses began coming back. Hircine left the outskirts of his consciousness and the light came back to his eyes...

He blinked, it was barely still daylight... the sun had just gone down, but even the dim light hurt his eyes... everything hurt...

Farkas groaned as he tried to move his body.

"By Ysmir brother, you really are too stubborn to die," Vilkas half cried, half laughed as he brought another potion to Farkas's mouth.

Farkas grunted as he took the potion and drank it. He felt the warmth slowly flowing back into his extremities as the magic slowly knit the hole in his chest back together.

Gods he'd rather Duna's spells to this foul liquid...

Duna...

With a start Farkas tried to get to his feet but slipped back into the snow.

"Hold on brother," Vilkas ordered in concern, reaching out to steady him, "you're still barely alive, be careful!"

"Don't have time for careful," Farkas mumbled, sitting back in the snow and grabbing for another potion bottle. "They got Duna."

"We figured as much when we didn't find her body with yours," the woman said, trying to sound calm. Now that Farkas could see again, he recognized her as Lydia.

"We'll go after her as soon as you're healed," Vilkas said firmly, handing Farkas still another potion. "You won't do her any good in your current state."

Farkas nodded and choked down another potion. He didn't want to know how many he'd gone through... he was pretty sure his own stubbornness was the only reason he'd held on long enough for Vilkas to find him...

"You should eat something," Vilkas said when Farkas put down another potion bottle.

"We need to go," Farkas shook his head, trying to stand again, but he was still woozy...

"You lost too much blood, eat something," Vilkas argued, handing him a piece of dried meat. Farkas sighed and sank back to the ground.

"I'll go get your horses," Lydia volunteered, "that way we can leave as soon as you're well enough to walk down the mountain."

Farkas just nodded as he bit into the dried meat. At least that was a step toward getting moving...

Vilkas helped Farkas get out of the ruined Blades armor and back into the steel he'd been wearing before.

Vilkas explained that he and Lydia had been planning to stop in Ivrastead on their way to the Rift, but Vilkas had smelled the blood all the way down the mountain as soon as they reached Ivrastead. And, of course, recognizing the smell of Farkas's blood had brought Vilkas charging frantically up the mountain.

Farkas took a deep breath and let it out slowly, in part just verifying that his lungs were healed, but mostly trying to process everything as he finished strapping his steel armor back on. He'd gotten lucky... _very_ lucky...

"Hircine was trying to come get me," Farkas said at last. Vilkas looked up at him seriously. "But I heard you calling me back," Farkas added with a hand on Vilkas's shoulder, "thank you brother," he said sincerely.

Vilkas sighed and shook his head before wiping his face again and pulling Farkas into a bearhug. "Thanks for coming back," Vilkas grumbled, still holding him tightly, "don't make me find you like that again!"

Vilkas's tone was scolding, but Farkas could feel the love and relief in his voice as well. Farkas just hugged him a little tighter for a moment.

"Now," Vilkas sighed when he finally let him go, "what in Oblivion happened?"

Farkas sat and explained while he ate a few more pieces of dried meat and bread, followed by a few more healing potions.

They figured Farkas must have been unconscious for at least four hours. Vilkas assumed the paralysis poison was likely what had slowed his heart rate enough to keep him from bleeding out more quickly.

Based on the faint hints of Duna's scent Farkas was able to catch, he figured the Thalmor were heading for Skyrim's southern border... but fortunately, Farkas also smelled a wagon and a horse, which meant the surviving Thalmor had to be taking the road, which would probably take them at least a day of travel before they got out of Skyrim... but that didn't give them a lot of time to catch up...

Farkas collected his mace and his staff, and then picked up Duna's steel mask that had been left in the snow. Vilkas raised an eyebrow as Farkas put the staff in his pack, but didn't say anything. Then, he finally convinced Vilkas he was strong enough to go. They met Lydia with Dapple and Boy at the base of the mountain. The horses both seemed nervous...

"It's alright Boy," Farkas said gently rubbing the horse's forehead, "we're gonna go get her."

"Lydia and I can take the bigger one," Vilkas suggested, "you go ahead on the dapple."

"Alright," Farkas nodded, "take care of these two for me Boy," he added to the horse as he handed Vilkas the reins.

"He have a name or any quirks I should know about?" Vilkas asked as Farkas turned to Dapple.

"Name's Boy," Farkas shrugged, "and not really, he's just a good horse."

"You named your horse Boy..." Vilkas shook his head with a sigh, "and what'd you name the dapple?"

"Dapple," Farkas replied as he climbed on to the slightly more antsy mare. Vilkas chuckled as he and Lydia climbed onto Boy.

Farkas hardly waited for them before he took off down the road. Dapple was more skittish than Boy, but with a little urging she was heading south at a full gallop. Soon Farkas could hear Boy galloping not far behind, seeming to have no trouble with the added weight.

They rode through the night, through the tall southern pine forests... the moons shown brightly, but the trees cast long dark shadows across the road. Farkas was navigating mostly on sound and smell. It clouded over and started to rain about an hour before sunrise, just as he heard the wheels of the Thalmor carriage several yards ahead.

Farkas leapt off of Dapple and ran furiously down the road as he drew his mace... he pulled out his shield instead of his staff, in case there were more poisoned arrows.

But the closer he got to the carriage the more Farkas's anger and adrenaline boiled... these Thalmor bastards were trying to take Duna... to trap her in a marriage with a horrible man, when she was supposed to stay in Skyrim with him... she was his mate, his best friend, his love... not this damn Thalmor's trophy...

He didn't care if they knew he'd survived... he wanted them to die in absolute terror...

His angry beast blood surged to the surface as the carriage came into view. Farkas was dimly aware of Vilkas behind him yelling something like "damn it brother," but he kept going. He didn't slow down, still running as he transformed, and moments later his teeth ripped through the neck of one of the rear Thalmor guards.

One of the Thalmor stood up on the back of the carriage, but it suddenly fell to an arrow from Vilkas's bow.

Then the horse pulling the carriage panicked and began running, while half of the Thalmor tried to keep up, and the rest began scrambling to the defense. Farkas charged after the carriage. He ripped through three of defenders before another Thalmor in the carriage stood to try and cast a spell in retaliation. But the lightning bolt arced harmlessly over his head as a pair of bound, bare feet kicked up from the back of the carriage, knocking the Thalmor's ankles out from under him. Farkas grabbed the falling elf off the carriage, bit down on his throat, and shook him till he fell limp like a rag doll, then continued chasing after the carriage.

Then, with a thundering voice from the back of the carriage, "STRUN!" Duna shouted and the gentle rain quickly grew into a raging thunderstorm. Massive lightning bolts began to pummel the area. The horse pulling the carriage was hit, four of the remaining Thalmor were dropped instantly, and one bolt very narrowly missed Farkas. The carriage flipped over and tossed its occupants, and one Thalmor hit a tree and didn't get up. Duna, stripped of her armor and still bound hand and foot, rolled as if she'd been expecting the crash. The ropes around her wrist were suddenly on fire, and moments later her summoned bow and arrows were in her hands. The rest of the Thalmor who did get up quickly began to drop to Duna's bow.

As Farkas closed the distance, his eyes fell on the one Duna had called Erremus... her so-called brother-in-law... he was angrily getting to his feet on the opposite side of the carriage.

"By all the Divines, Celeste, I'm going to make sure my brother takes you with whips and chains for a week when we get home!" The elf yelled furiously stalking around the wreck toward her.

"Fuck you," she retorted before firing an arrow into his chest plate.

Erremus staggered, and Farkas saw him start to cast a healing spell...

With a roar Farkas leapt over the carriage and batted the Thalmor to the ground with his massive paw. Farkas took a morbid pleasure in the brief look of shock and terror on his face before he sank his teeth into the man's throat.

When everything was finally still, Farkas tossed Erremus's limp corpse to the side, and turned in concern to see Duna. She'd been stripped of her armor and was dressed only in her sleeveless undershirt which hung just past her upper thighs. There was a scrap of fabric hanging around her neck that Farkas assumed had been tied over her mouth. She had just gotten her ankles unbound when he turned towards her, and she was now on the ground, scooting backwards with an arrow aimed at him... he could hear her heart racing... she smelled terrified... she smelled like she'd been crying... and in the moonlight he saw her eyes were red-rimmed and her face was tear streaked...

Farkas sat and did his best to look non-threatening. She kept her arrow trained on him but didn't shoot. Farkas debated changing back, but being naked this close to the border felt like a bad idea... he whined sadly, trying to think of how to tell her it was him...

Her eyes trailed across his face and he noticed her gaze linger over the scar above his eye...

"Vilkas?" She asked in a soft, sad voice.

Farkas shook his head and Duna's eyes trailed down to the freshly closed scar on his chest... her eyes slowly widened as she looked back to his face.

"F-Farkas?" She asked in a hopeful whisper.

Farkas nodded eagerly and she dropped her bow with a sound between a sob and a laugh. Farkas smelled fresh tears spilling down her cheeks as she scrambled to her feet and ran to him.

He dropped to all fours so she could reach and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Farkas tucked his massive head over her shoulder while she buried her face in his fur and cried.

Farkas breathed in her scent, letting the relief wash over him... she smelled unharmed... he hadn't lost her... he hadn't failed... it wasn't over.

Duna slowly pulled back and began gently running her hands through his fur, slowly pulling back to study his face. Her gentle fingers ran along his snout, then over his forehead to his ears.

"It... its r-really you?" She asked in a trembling voice.

Farkas nodded again and sat up, showing her his chest and stomach. He pointed to the three long thin scars that were barely visible through his fur... the first scars he'd ever told her the story of...

With a shaking breath, Duna ran her fingers gently along the scars, and then slowly began to look for the other scars she'd heard stories of... Farkas crouched back down so she could reach him and her fingers trailed gently along the new scar in the middle of his chest.

"It is you..." she choked quietly, more tears spilling down her cheeks. "Divines, Farkas..." she shuddered as she hugged him again, "I... I thought I'd really gotten you killed this time," she cried.

Farkas just tucked his head back over her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"I..." she sniffled and pulled back to look at his face again, "I love you," she whispered sincerely.

Farkas's heart leapt excitedly. He gave a happy, wolffish yip and nuzzled his forehead against hers, and then nuzzled and licked the side of her face just like an overjoyed dog. Duna giggled and hugged his neck again, and even though he knew Vilkas would tell him it was horribly undignified, he wagged his tail.

For the moment, Farkas was just too happy to care about much else.


	37. Aftermath

Farkas was still a wolf with Duna's tiny form clinging to him when his ears caught the sound of two people and two more horses coming down the road. Fortunately he also caught the scents of Vilkas and Lydia, and the horses were definitely Dapple and Boy.

"Are you alright my Thane?" Lydia called, breaking into a jog as they approached. Duna looked up with a start, but calmed quickly as she recognized them.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok... now," Duna sighed, as she gently let go of Farkas.

Farkas noticed Lydia watching him a little warily, but she didn't otherwise seem too phased.

"We took care of the rest of them," Vilkas announced as he caught up to Lydia with their horses. "Go get dressed," he added, throwing a pair of pants and shirt at Farkas, "we'll have to collect your armor, you scattered it nearly a mile down the road," he grumbled.

Farkas nodded as he caught the clothes with a grunt. He pressed his nose gently against Duna's forehead for a brief moment before turning to step behind the overturned carriage. He began willing his body to turn back into a man, which took a moment as he was still processing what had just happened...

Duna loved him... even in his beast form... she had been terrified of the werewolf in front of her, until she realized it was him... she wasn't afraid of him... _she loved him_...

Farkas could hear Lydia asking Duna if she needed anything as he got dressed. All Farkas could think was that he needed Duna in his arms... Farkas hurried back around the side of the carriage excitedly. He didn't care that Vilkas and Lydia were right there, or that they were talking to her... Duna stopped mid-sentence when she saw him and smiled happily. She was beginning to reach for him as well as he scooped her into his arms.

"I love you too," he grinned, and then kissed her. He heard Duna's pulse jump as she hugged him tightly and kissed him back.

He heard Vilkas sigh grumpily behind them... much as Farkas didn't want to let her go, or stop kissing her, he understood Vilkas's point... they really needed to collect their armor and get somewhere safe.

"We should head back to Ivrastead," he sighed quietly as he gently leaned his forehead against hers.

"And quickly," Vilkas added, "we're about a mile from the border, they may have been expecting reinforcements."

"My gear and armor should be in the carriage," Duna nodded, "I did hear something about more imperial guards meeting them in the morning once we got into Cyrodiil."

"Farkas's armor is all over the place," Vilkas said again with a sigh, "but I did grab your gear pack brother." Vilkas pulled the enchanted pack off of his own belt and tossed it to him. Farkas caught it in relief... he would have been horribly upset if he'd lost Kodlak's amulet of Mara... not to mention everything else in the enchanted pack.

Duna looked around some of the dead Thalmor and began rummaging through a few of their pockets and gear packs. She pulled her pants out of the gear pack of one of the female elves, and Vilkas turned away as she began putting them back on. Farkas was just rooted in place watching her for a moment... she'd smelled unharmed... but...

"What did they do to you?" He asked in a low voice.

Duna pulled the grey pants up and tied the drawstring with a sigh. He had noticed she still had her small-clothes as his eyes trailed up her pale, smooth thighs...

Somewhere in the back of his mind the wolf spirit growled angrily... his first time seeing her beautiful legs should have been exciting and arousing... instead he was just concerned for her, wondering what the damn Thalmor had done...

"This bitch," Duna replied, kicking the corpse of the female elf she'd retrieved her pants from, "was one of the Aldmeri Dominion's field medics... they sent her to 'examine' me... to make sure I was 'still fit' to go back to Aranmen," she explained angrily. Then she looked back to Farkas's worried face and her bitter expression softened. "Which was embarrassing and uncomfortable, but that was all," she sighed, "thinking I'd gotten you killed was worse than all of that by far..." she added with hints of more tears in her eyes. Farkas sighed in relief... she was ok... shaken up, but ok.

"Don't worry," Farkas said with a gentle smile, "it'll take more than that to get rid of me."

Duna smiled, and Farkas stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Come on," he added, "I'll tell ya what happened on the way to Ivrastead."

"Right..." Duna agreed and then went to collect her armor from the carriage.

Farkas turned his attention back to their surroundings. Vilkas was looking through the bodies, but Lydia was just standing on guard at a respectful distance. The horses were just waiting patiently, and sky was just beginning to get light. The rain had stopped when Duna's thunderstorm had faded, the magic storm seemed to have pulled all the water out of the sky, even the clouds had cleared.

Duna got her armor back on quickly, and Farkas pulled her mask out of his own pack and handed it to her.

"Oh, thank you," she smiled.

"Not sure there's much point in wearin' it anymore," Farkas shrugged, "but I grabbed it for you."

"There probably isn't," Duna sighed, "they knew who we were even with the mask." She looked at the mask in her hands and then to the dead Thalmor leader... Erremus... "Divines... it felt good to shoot him..." she said with another sigh. Farkas chuckled looking over at the dead elf...

His heart suddenly sank as he remembered what Erremus had said about her father signing paperwork... what was that going to mean for them? Surely the temple of Mara wouldn't recognize that as an actual marriage... Hircine certainly wouldn't care, she could still be his mate, he wasn't ever going to let that so-called-husband touch her... but he wanted to marry her like Kodlak suggested... he wanted...

"Now if only his stupid brother would show up so I can shoot him too..." Duna's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Farkas agreed. At least he had no doubt that the supposedly legal marriage wasn't going to change Duna's opinion on their relationship... he just smiled as Duna put her mask in her pack and pulled out the dragon scale helmet.

The ride back to Ivrastead had taken most of the day. Vilkas had figured that even with Farkas being a bit bulkier than he was, Duna being so much shorter than Lydia probably made Farkas and Duna the lighter pair, so they could take Dapple. Farkas was pretty sure Vilkas just wanted the more mellow horse... Dapple hadn't seemed too fond of him when he'd been leading her earlier. But Dapple seemed happy and less antsy to see Duna again, and while smaller than Boy, she was still a huge animal, plenty capable of carrying them both. The ride back to Ivrastead was mercifully uneventful... once they were done stopping every few yards for Farkas put another piece of armor back on at least.

Farkas let himself finally begin relaxing as he rode with one arm around Duna's waist and a gentle hand on the reins. Duna seemed to be finally relaxing as well while Farkas told her how Vilkas and Lydia had found him and gotten him back on his feet...

They arrived at the inn in time for an early dinner. Duna still didn't bother with her mask as the four of them sat down. Farkas was quick to scoot his chair as close as he could to Duna's, and he smiled as her hand found his under the table. He couldn't help but smile even more when the innkeeper brought them their food and he realized it was her right hand clasped gently in his left. Since Duna was left handed, they could keep holding hands while they ate... he felt a little silly that something so simple made him so happy.

They discussed the plan for Lydia's trial, they had some heirloom to go retrieve from bandits that were believed to be currently hiding out in the Rift. Then Farkas described their battle with the Foresworn, and then Duna described Sky Haven Temple.

Then Vilkas told them what happen after Duna and Farkas left, when Skjor absentmindedly reached into his potion satchel to get Torvar a healing potion after Vilkas had gone a little too rough on him...

Torvar had looked in surprise at the bigger bottle, and read the label... then, assuming he was drunk, he'd handed the bottle off to Athis, who read it out loud...

The end result was a shocked Aela, a very confused and embarrassed Skjor, and the rest of the yard in hysterical laughter. Farkas wished he'd been there to see it.

When they finished dinner, Duna and Lydia went to the washroom and Farkas told Vilkas what the lead Thalmor had said about Duna's father signing the marriage paperwork.

"That doesn't sound like a marriage, that sounds like a sale," Vilkas replied in outrage, "that's not right..."

"I know," Farkas grumbled, "I'm never gonna let him touch her, but the laws..."

"I'm not even sure that would be a legally binding marriage in Cyrodiil," Vilkas interrupted, "it definitely won't be recognized in Skyrim," he assured him.

Farkas breathed a sigh of relief.

"I've got an amulet," Farkas said quietly pulling the box out of his pack to show Vilkas.

"By Ysmir brother..." Vilkas said, looking at the amulet in shock, "I knew you were this serious, but I didn't know... when did you...?" Vilkas trailed off looking surprised.

"Kodlak gave it to me," Farkas explained as he put the amulet carefully away. Vilkas just regraded him with surprised confusion while Farkas relayed what Kodlak had told him the morning he'd left.

"I... I never knew..." Vilkas shook his head in disbelief once he was done.

"Basically the same thing I said," Farkas shrugged.

"We have to find a way to cure this curse brother..." Vilkas said seriously, "if we don't, he won't get to see her again in Sovengarde..."

Farkas's eyes went wide with that realization... he felt a little guilty that he hadn't thought of that himself...

"Ok," Farkas nodded, "what do we do?"

"I don't know..." Vilkas shook his head looking lost in thought.

Several moments later he sighed and looked back to Farkas.

"You," he began seriously, "keep helping Duna defeat the dragons. There's no point to anything else if Alduin isn't stopped."

Farkas nodded and Vilkas continued.

"I'll start passing some more of my jobs off to the whelps and see what I can do to help Kodlak with that pile of reading he's been collecting."

"Alright," Farkas said with another nod, "and you'll write if you find anything else I can do?"

"Aye," Vilkas nodded. "And you'd better write and tell me when to come to Riften for your big day," he added with a smirk.

"I will," Farkas chuckled.

When Duna and Lydia re-emerged from the washroom, Farkas and Vilkas went to wash up. Farkas finally got a good look at his two new scars... nearly five inches long, one slightly to the right, in the center of his chest... and the other to match it on his back, running just beside his spine. Gods... it really was a miracle he was alive...

To Farkas's relief, no one, not even Vilkas had seemed surprised or put off when Duna asked the innkeeper for one room with two beds, even though Lydia and Vilkas had each gotten a single room. It was an even bigger relief to see the familiar sight of Duna, in her sleeping tunic, sitting on her bed, writing in her journal when he got back from the washroom. Farkas was eager to hold her and kiss her again. He'd had his arm around her most of the day, and been holding her hand under the table for most of dinner, but that wasn't enough...

She smiled happily up at him as he shut and locked their door, but there were fresh tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he set his things down beside the other bed.

"Just... filling in my journal," she shrugged. One of the tears rolled down her cheek, and Farkas hurried to her side. She dropped the journal and turned eagerly to him as he sat beside her and wrapped her in his arms.

Farkas gently kissed her cheek, and brought his hand up to wipe the tear away with his thumb. She smiled tiredly and Farkas kissed her cheek again. Duna leaned her head on his shoulder and ran her hand gently up his chest. He never bothered with the lacings at the top of his shirts, so it hung open, just low enough for Duna's fingers to run across the new scar. Farkas heard her breath catch in her throat. She leaned back slightly to look down at the scar, running her fingers over it again.

"Farkas..." she breathed as a few more tears fell, "I..."

"It's ok," Farkas interrupted in a low voice, before she could apologize, "I'm ok." He brought his hand up to gently lift her chin so he could look into her eyes... the lovely shade of nearly midnight blue stood out even more brilliantly than usual with her eyes red-rimmed from exhaustion and crying.

"But... y-you almost weren't," she whispered in a trembling voice.

"Almost," Farkas nodded, "but I am," he said simply as he pulled her back into an embrace against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his middle and Farkas began to rub slow, soothing circles against her back.

"I... I spent all last night thinking of what I should have done differently..." Duna said quietly, burying her face against his chest. "I should have shouted at him, or shot him... literally anything besides comply with his demands... you were telling me not to trust him... and I... I..."

"You did what you thought would protect me," Farkas interrupted gently.

"But I was _wrong_... if... if Vilkas hadn't found you..." she trembled.

"But he did," Farkas replied, "I'm here, you made it out, and I found you. We're ok," he looked back to her face and wiped away another tear that had fallen. "And we're gonna be ok," he added, "I think the gods are on our side," he smiled, thinking hopefully about what Kodlak had said about the prophesy Ulfric had told them...

"Y-you think so?" Duna looked back up at him.

"Yeah," Farkas smiled and placed another kiss on her lips. Duna kissed him back briefly before resting her head against his shoulder and leaning comfortably against his chest again. He could tell she was exhausted.

"I hope so," she whispered with a sigh. She was quiet for several moments and Farkas was just starting to think she was asleep, but then she quietly added, "I love you."

Farkas's heart jumped excitedly as he just held her comfortably against his chest. "I love you too," he replied with a smile before gently kissing the top of her head.

He felt her smile against his chest as she slowly dozed off in his arms. She was cuddled against his chest, reminding him adorably of a little rabbit again.

Farkas slowly lay back in the bed and just pulled the blanket over them. He assumed he'd have trouble sleeping like that... expecting that the wolf spirit would be gnawing at him to mate her... but it wasn't...

The wolf spirit was still mostly focused on protecting her, and it actually recognized how badly she just needed sleep. So Farkas and his wolf spirit both were content to simply hold her and relax.

It might have just been all the stress that his body had endured the last two days, or it might have been the comfort of holding Duna so close, but for the first time since Farkas had taken the beast blood, sleep actually came easily.


	38. Authors Note: Artwork!

Hi all!

Just wanted to share:

Ignea_Hotbrew (one of my followers on Wattpad) made artwork for this story and I love it!!! Go check it out! :)

  
a picture of Duna:

<https://mobile.twitter.com/NHotbrew/status/1254905322923331592?s=19>

And two versions of a picture of Duna and Farkas:   
<https://www.wysp.ws/post/1399821001/>  
  


<https://www.wysp.ws/post/1397921001/>

Honestly, I pictured Duna’s hair a bit darker, but I think she’s otherwise pretty spot on (or maybe we’ll just figure it’s the lighting and she’s totally spot on).  
I'm just so honored and excited that my story inspired these lovely images. :)

I hope you enjoy!

Also, as a side note; I think I might actually be able to commit to a schedule of updates on Friday’s... Hopefully...


	39. An Awkward Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some awkward morning fluff... and that awkward conversation about expectations that couples realistically need to have...

Farkas woke about an hour before dawn, in the cold part of the morning before the sky began to get light... the air was chilly and he was a little uncomfortable... actually, he was glad he hadn't gotten a chance to take his shirt off the night before... but despite the chill, he hadn't felt so rested in years...

Duna was still asleep, curled up against his side, bundled in the blanket. Farkas grinned... he wouldn't mind waking up like this every day...

A bigger bed so he wouldn't have to worry about falling off the edge would be nice... and a blanket big enough for both of them would be nice too...

Duna had curled into a bit of a ball and taken most of the blanket... it was adorable... but even though a Nord could survive colder temperatures than most, it didn't mean the cool night air was comfortable if he was sleeping without a blanket. With a quiet chuckle, Farkas rolled onto his side to fit better on the bed, and then slowly untangled the blanket around her so he could drape it back over both of them. She fidgeted a little as he did so, grumbling in her sleep at the loss of the warm blanket, but then she settled comfortably as soon as Farkas wrapped his arms around her. She pulled his forearm closer like she had done with the blanket, and then rolled over, pressing her back into his chest and sighed happily in her sleep.

Farkas was warm and comfortable again, but there was no way he was going back to sleep now... he was awake... certain parts of his lower region were _very_ awake... he wondered if this would be a good position to...

Farkas took a deep breath and tried not to think about pulling her tunic up and his pants down... he knew he needed to get his arousal under control before she shifted downward another inch and brushed against his erection... but part of him was hoping for exactly that... imagining what would happen if she felt it and woke up...

Realistically Farkas was pretty sure she would be startled and uncomfortable and make him go back to his own bed... but what if she didn't...? What if she got as excited as he was? If she did, he wasn't sure how he'd manage to follow Kodlak's advice... which gave him two reasons he needed to not let that happen...

Then suddenly, Duna shivered and tried to snuggle lower into the blankets. His part-worry, part-hope came to fruition... she pressed into him for warmth and Farkas couldn't stifle the deep, shuddered gasp that escaped him at the momentary feeling of her round bottom pressing against him...

But the pleasure was short-lived as the panic set in at the fear of her waking up like that, and Farkas jumped back with a start. His hip landed at the edge of the bed frame with a painful thud. Duna startled awake as Farkas flailed one arm away from her to try and catch his balance. She quickly sat up, freeing his other arm so suddenly he lost all hope of regaining his balance and toppled off the bed with an undignified yelp, taking the whole blanket with him.

Since it was his lower half he'd been trying to distance from her, that was the first thing to hit the floor, and he landed hard on his bottom. Farkas swore... he was pretty sure he'd bruised his tailbone... not to mention his pride... and his hip...

At least if he'd needed something to calm down his arousal this level embarrassment and a bit of pain certainly did the trick...

"Farkas?" Duna's soft, confused voice pulled his attention back up to the bed... she was sitting up, blinking down at him, slowly waking up more fully... thank the gods, he thought, she didn't seem to have any idea what had just happened.

"What...? Why are you...?" She started in bewilderment.

"We need a bigger bed," Farkas groaned, slowly and carefully sitting up.

"Wait..." she furrowed her eyebrows, "did... did I knock you out of the bed?" She asked in disbelief.

"Kinda..." Farkas replied sheepishly, not daring to elaborate further.

"Oh divines... Farkas, I'm sorry, I... wait..." she suddenly stopped and looked up to the window, "it's nearly morning?!" She suddenly looked embarrassed, "Farkas, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, I..."

"Wasn't complainin' about that," Farkas interrupted with a grin as he got to his feet. His grin turned to a grimace as he did so... he was definitely going to have some bruises...

"Are you ok?" Duna asked. Farkas looked back to find her beautiful eyes wide and staring at him in concern.

"I'm fine," he smiled, "just a little sore."

Duna cocked an eyebrow at him thoughtfully for a moment... "would... would you like me to heal that?" She asked nervously.

Farkas wanted to tell her to save her energy, but the thought of hiking up the mountain with a bruised tailbone sounded miserable... "wouldn't complain if you wanted to," he admitted.

Duna looked from him to the bed and back again, seeming to consider something while her heart picked up in pace...

"A-alright," she nodded, then with a deep breath she added, "I... I had an idea... i-if you’re sore... um... t-take your shirt off and come lay on your stomach." She patted the bed beside where she was now sitting up on her knees.

Farkas raised his eyebrows in surprise, but quickly complied, noticing that she smelled just a little more excited than nervous...

"Where does it hurt?" She asked in a soft voice as he lay down.

"Uh..." Farkas's face turned a little red, "kinda landed on my ass," he admitted more sheepishly.

"O-ok..." Duna said with a poorly suppressed giggle.

With his head turned to the side, so he could just see her in his peripheral vision, Farkas saw Duna's hands light with the gold light of a healing spell as she slowly leaned over his back.

At first she just rested a hand at the top of his pants, right between his hipbones and let the healing magic flow into him, he felt almost instantly better, and then she began to slowly run her hands up his back... he could feel her fingers tracing along his muscles with warm healing magic soothing every ache as she did so... Farkas sighed comfortably. Then she began pressing into the muscles along his spine, working the magic into the muscles as she massaged them.

He'd never had a proper massage... gods it was lovely... the muscles hurt for a moment as her fingers dug into the particularly tense places, but then quickly soothed as the tension was relieved, and the healing spell just worked the warmth and comfort through his whole body.

Farkas let out an involuntary groan as she worked into the muscles around his shoulders and neck.

Duna's hands froze, "did that hurt?" She asked nervously.

"No, that's good..." Farkas sighed, "feels good..." he was about say something to the effect of 'please don't stop,' but she began massaging the muscles between his shoulder blades and it just came out as a short moan.

He heard Duna's heart rate increase several times as she got more grunts and moans out of him... gods, if her hands felt this good on his back... he wanted her to touch him so many more places...

Farkas didn't know how long she was working on his back, but he was a little startled when she suddenly stopped...

"Divines, Farkas, it actually _is_ morning now," she breathed in surprise.

With a groan Farkas turned his head to see the window was much lighter than he'd been expecting.

Duna ran her hands back down the length of his spine one last time, pouring even more healing magic into his muscles.

"We should probably get up soon," she added, shifting back to her knees.

"But I don't wanna get up yet..." he grumbled. Farkas rolled over carefully and Duna shifted a little closer to the wall to make room for him. He realized all of his aches were gone... actually, he felt great... he felt better rested than he had in years...

"I..." Duna started to say something but trailed off, and Farkas's heart jumped as he watched her eyes trail across his chest... "Umm..." she took a deep breath, "I can do this some more tonight..." she offered quietly, "I was thinking we could go to Riverwood after talking to the Greybeards..."

"Should be able to get a room with a bigger bed in Riverwood..." Farkas smirked approvingly. He heard a jump in her pulse at that and her eyes trailed from his chest to his stomach, then Farkas's heart jumped too as he watched her gaze travel down to his waist line... she started to smell more nervous and she looked back to him with a blush across her cheeks.

"Y-you want me to get a room w-with just... one bed?" She asked quietly, her blush darkening a little... her heart began to race like a terrified rabbit and Farkas could have smacked himself.

"Only if you want to," he replied quickly, "sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was expecting... anything you're not ready for," he added awkwardly. "I was just thinking I liked last night, but I don't wanna go fallin' out like that again."

"Ok, thats... that's ok, l-last night was nice," Duna shook her head, "sorry, I... I'm getting there... I just..."

"You don't have to apologize," Farkas interrupted gently, "I'm just happy to be with you... however you're comfortable.... however you're happy."

She nodded and gave him a small smile, but she still looked like something was on her mind. Farkas sat up and gently took her hand in his while he reached up with the other hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Then he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"What's botherin' you?" He asked gently.

Duna looked up at him with her beautiful blue eyes... she smelled so terrified, but she held his gaze and took a deep breath.

"I... I know what you and Vilkas said before we left to meet Delphine," she began slowly, "but... since I talked t-to Aela... back at Jorrvaskr... I... I've been... wanting to ask..." her voice trembled and Farkas cocked his head attentively. "Do... do you want me to... to accept the beast blood?" Her voice was so quiet Farkas wasn't sure he'd heard her right...

"What?" He studied her face in confusion... he must have misheard... but Duna just looked a little surprised by his reaction, looking back at him with a blush across her cheeks...

"A-Aela said... it would be... useful, if y-you wanted me... to be your..." she paused and swallowed nervously, "your... mate..."

Farkas's heart skipped... he couldn't believe what he'd just heard... had she been thinking about that this whole time? Is that what she meant by 'I'm getting there'? What in Oblivion had Aela said?

"Duna... I..." Farkas wasn't sure how to answer that...

He didn't want her to suffer his curse...

But gods he wanted her...

Kodlak's advice, he reminded himself... follow Kodlak's advice.

He took a deep breath, "won't lie," he sighed, "I want you... but... Kodlak says the beast blood is bad for the soul, and I don't want you to do anything that's gonna hurt you."

"But... if I want to be with you...?" She whispered sadly... Farkas's heart skipped, part of him wondered if he was dreaming...

"You don't have to take the beast blood to be with me," he assured her with a smile.

She let out a sigh of obvious relief, that put an even bigger grin on Farkas's face. He thought about getting up and pulling out the amulet of Mara right then, but Duna looked like there was more on her mind.

"And, you... you want me?" She asked a moment later in a quiet, trembling voice.

"I do," Farkas nodded, trying to keep his heart rate in check... he couldn't believe that wasn't obvious... "but I wanna be an honorable man and marry you first..."

Duna's eyes went a little wider as she stared back at him...

"But I'll wait for you to be comfortable and happy with that," Farkas added seriously.

"You... you're... really... really willing to wait for me?" She asked, now looking more hopeful than nervous.

"I am," Farkas smiled, making an effort not to look disappointed, "perks of being so stubborn," he added with a shrug, "I can be patient if I need to..." even if he didn't want to...

The smile that lit up her face made it hard to feel disappointed though... especially when she leaned forward and kissed his lips...

"I... I'm trying," she whispered when she pulled gently back to look into his eyes, "I... I feel like..." she paused and took a deep breath, "like I have two conflicting sets of emotions," she sighed, "I spent so long terrified of getting married... now, even though I want to be with you, part of me is still just terrified of being with anybody..."

"It's ok," Farkas said gently, "been guessin' it was something like that for a while now."

"I will... I mean... I want to make you happy one day... I... I'm just not ready yet... I'm sorry, I-"

Farkas cut her off with a quick kiss.

"I said don't apologize for that," he said gently, "I'm already happy." He smiled, but she looked up at him a little confused, and Farkas just had to chuckle. "_This_ makes me happy," he explained, wrapping one of his arms around her waist. "Fighting dragons and bandits and draugr with you makes me happy, riding all over Skyrim with you makes me happy, sitting at the forge talking with you makes me happy..." he leaned down and kissed her lips again, then he leaned further down and kissed her neck and smiled more as he heard her take a shuddered breath... "I want you as my wife and as my mate, but also as my best friend," he admitted. "Making you happy makes me happy, helping you makes me happy," he continued, "it might not be what the songs and stories make you think love is supposed to be, but I'm happy. You're worth waiting for."

Duna just looked back at him in surprise for a few moments... her expression slowly melted to a happy but surprised smile.

"And you're worth facing my fears for," she whispered, "I _will_ get there," she promised, "I still don't know when, but I will."

Farkas just grinned and then leaned down to kiss her. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck. When they separated she buried her face into the crook of his neck with a content sounding sigh and Farkas was happy to just hold her.

Then, to Farkas's surprise, several moments later she started to giggle... then to laugh...

"Divines... those fucking books got so much wrong..." she said through her giggles. Farkas just held her with eyebrows raised in confusion, waiting for her to explain...

"There were these books they made me read," she began, leaning back again to look up at him, "one was called something like 'Wifely Duties and How to Perform Them' and the other was 'How to Make a Man Happy,'" she laughed, "and neither of them suggested 'let's go kill a dragon'!"

"Obviously weren't written for Nords," Farkas chuckled. Then seriously he added, "you don't have to listen to anything from those books if you don't want to."

"Well... it was where I got the idea to rub your back," she admitted, blushing again, and making Farkas's heart jump...

"I mean... if you _do_ want to, I'm not gonna complain."

Duna just giggled at that and leaned back into his embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, speaking of Farkas’s skill stats that might surprise you... he has a 100 in speech. ;)


	40. The Mountain Top

They stayed cuddled up in bed until the sun was entirely over the horizon, and Farkas reluctantly realized they really did need to get moving. Duna didn't smell afraid or nervous anymore at least. Farkas kissed her forehead again before leaning back to look at her.

"So... we goin' to the Greybeards today?" He asked.

"Yeah," she sighed grumpily, "I'd rather go finish your armor first, but I don't remember there being a forge in Ivrastead."

"There isn't," Farkas shook his head, "but I'll be back in the steel you gave me. Should be fine."

"Ok... but whatever the Greybeards say, the next thing we're doing is finishing your armor," Duna decided firmly. "That's why I was thinking we could head to Riverwood tonight," she added, "Alvor doesn't mind me working his forge, and it's a quiet, out of the way place."

"Makes sense," Farkas nodded, "and I sure won't complain," he added as he climbed out of the blanket.

Farkas still couldn't believe how well rested he felt as he dressed in his steel armor and reapplied his warpaint. Duna was a little slower to climb out of the blanket, but she also seemed to be feeling better after resting and talking. She went the the washroom to dress for the day while Farkas finished collecting his things from beside the bed they hadn't used.

Farkas smiled to himself... part of him still couldn't believe he'd admitted to Duna that he wanted to marry her... much less that she had been ok with that admission... but he did notice the adorably awkward way she'd specifically avoided saying the word sex, or any other ways to directly refer to the act. It was part of what told him she really wasn't ready yet...

Not that Farkas knew a whole lot about sex himself... holding and kissing Duna was the closest to intimate he'd ever been with anyone. He understood the gist of it though... he knew how animals worked, and he and Vilkas had been told the basics as whelps— along with firm advice on how they should behave as honorable men. The wolf instincts that came with the beast blood were where Farkas got most of his ideas... and of course years of taking jobs around Skyrim, staying in taverns and having such good hearing... he got a pretty decent idea that the act was supposed to be pleasurable for both participants...

Though... he couldn't imagine Duna screaming like a tavern whore...

The thought of that soft gasp that escaped her lips the first time he'd kissed her neck crossed his mind... he smiled as he imagined making her make that sound again... imagined her gasping and writhing in pleasure as he...

Farkas shook his head and sighed... this was not getting him anywhere. Duna would be out of the washroom and finishing breakfast by the time he was ready to leave the room if he let himself get caught up in that fantasy.

He collected his thoughts and the rest of his things and made his way out to the rest of the inn to meet a grumpy, sleepy looking Vilkas for breakfast.

"Mornin'," Farkas greeted, sitting down at the table they'd had the night before.

Vilkas grunted in response, chewing tiredly on a chunk of bread. But then he suddenly inhaled sharply through the nose and turned to Farkas with a raised eyebrow. Farkas knew Vilkas could smell well enough to know exactly how he'd spent his night. Farkas's face slowly shifted to a smirk as Vilkas raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Will you two be joining us on the way to Riften then?" Vilkas asked, eyebrows still raised as Farkas grabbed the other half of the loaf of bread off of Vilkas's plate.

"Not yet," Farkas sighed, "but we did talk more about that... she's got a lot of conflicted emotions about marriage 'cause of that bastard elf and all, so I just told her I'll wait."

"Sleeping in her bed constitutes waiting?" Vilkas asked skeptically.

"It does if I'm keeping my pants on," Farkas shrugged, trying not to sound grumpy about that.

"And you're alright with that?" Vilkas asked with the same expression.

"Yeah," Farkas sighed, "like I told her, I'm stubborn, I can be patient if I need to be... she's worth it."

Vilkas nodded and looked like he was about to say something, but Farkas spoke again first.

"And we've still got dragons to kill," he added with another shrug.

"Good, I was about to remind you to keep your priorities straight," Vilkas chuckled.

Then he looked down to his plate before looking back to Farkas, back to his plate, and then back to Farkas again. "Damn it brother," Vilkas growled before getting up and stalking to the bar to buy more bread.

"You're getting slow brother," Farkas teased as he followed him, "I wasn't even tryin' to sneak that one by you!"

Vilkas grumpily bought more bread and Farkas bought him a sweet roll to make up for it. Duna and Lydia met them not long after that, and after a pleasant breakfast, they were all on their way for the day... Vilkas and Lydia to the Rift, and Farkas and Duna up to High Hrothgar.

The carnage from their fight two days prior had drawn in a pair of saber cats who were feasting on the corpses. Farkas almost felt bad about having to kill the animals, if they hadn't immediately become hostile at their approach Farkas would have been content to leave them be. But of course both cats had gotten up and charged down the trail at them. Duna took one down easily with her conjured bow and Farkas just as easily took care of the other with his mace.

Farkas watched thoughtfully as Duna then used one of her simple spells to quickly collect and clean both of the pelts.

Compared to a dragon, smashing the huge cat's skull was hardly an adrenaline rush anymore... he hoped that wouldn't make him more restless once the the dragons were all defeated... maybe he'd be ready to settle down by then. It was a little funny, Farkas realized... the adrenaline of a good fight, and the honor of defending his shield-siblings had always been his favorite thing, but now, the idea of settling down with Duna when it was all done was just as appealing.

"Divines they sent a lot of men after us," Duna commented in disbelief looking back over the dead Thalmor as she finished with the pelts.

"After what you did at the embassy, guess they didn't wanna take chances," Farkas shrugged. Now that he was back on his feet with Duna beside him again, he felt a little proud of how many Thalmor had fallen to their combined efforts... they really were a force to be reckoned with...

The wind howled and blew a little colder than the last time they'd made this climb. Farkas could tell it would be Frost Fall soon.

"Might be a good thing I got those pelts," Duna grumbled as she pulled her cloak more tightly around her, "I might need to figure out how to fur-line my armor."

Farkas wrapped an arm around her as they continued climbing.

Back inside the monastery of High Hrothgar everything was exactly as it had been... quiet, peaceful... seemingly removed from time and all the world below. Farkas thought it was a nice break from the usual stress, but he'd quickly go crazy if he had to live up here.

No one greeted them at the door this time, as Duna had been given free rein to come and go as she pleased.

Duna found Master Arngeir meditating in one of the side hallways. He got up when he saw them approach and greeted them politely. He didn't seem at all surprised or disturbed to see them... but his demeanor quickly shifted when Duna asked about a shout that was used to defeat Alduin...

"Where did you learn of that? Who have you been talking to?" Arngeir's tone was that of an angry parent scolding a child and Duna instantly bristled.

"Does it matter?" She grumbled.

"Yes," Arngeir replied angrily, "for matters of such gravity, we need to know where you stand... or who you stand with."

Farkas could smell Duna's anger rising... he knew she didn't take well to being scolded... he was impressed she managed to keep her temper mostly in check as she told him it had been the Blades who had helped them... but that seemed to only make the old man more angry. Master Arngeir did not like the Blades... he claimed they had always worked to turn the Dragonborn away from the path of wisdom... Duna did not care for being called their puppet...

Farkas just stood uncomfortably beside her as the two argued. Master Arngeir's angry tone made Farkas's hair stand on end... he didn't like being reminded that this man could kill them with his voice, but Duna didn't seem intimidated.

Finally, the old man's temper seemed to calm when Duna admitted she didn't exactly trust the Blades, and then he admitted that he couldn't teach her the shout they were looking for... the words to the shout had been lost.

Farkas resisted the urge to sigh grumpily... this was starting to sound like a deadend, and that whole argument had been pointless... but then Arngeir said they'd let her talk to Paarthunax... the leader of the Greybeards...

Farkas was a little confused by that, he was certain he'd only smelled the four of them in the monastery... but apparently there was a fifth person here... why hadn't he noticed a fifth scent? He should have been able to pick up on that...

Master Arngeir led them out to the courtyard while he explained that their leader stayed at the very top of the mountain... which answered at least some of Farkas's questions but something still didn't add up...

Farkas just watched suspiciously as the old man gestured to the steps at the far end of the yard that seemed to lead up into a swirling cloud of ice and wind...

Then Farkas watched and listened as the Greybeards gathered in the courtyard to teach Duna the shout she would need to reach the mountain top. He tried to pay attention to the scents on the wind... tried to see if he could pick up this fifth person...

He smelled Duna of course; flowers, honey, and smoke... he smelled the fire blazing in the courtyard brazier... he smelled each of the four old men... they each had a distinctive hint of their preferred magic, but beyond that they all smelled like leather, incense, cheese, cabbage, dried fish, maybe soap...

He smelled snow and ice in the clouds... maybe the distant scent of a dragon on the wind...

but there was no fifth person...

Farkas could only assume the severe winds at the mountain top were keeping the scent from reaching him... and that the man hadn't come down in quite a while... Farkas didn't like this...

He wasn't sure if the fact that none of the Greybeards would be accompanying them to the top made him feel better or worse...

Duna got the hang of the shout that would clear the howling winds from their path, and Farkas stayed close beside her as they headed for the steps.

"LOK VAH KOOR!" Duna's voice cracked like thunder and the icy torrent of wind died down, revealing a path that continued up the mountain.

Each time they reached a turn in the path Duna had to shout to clear the freezing winds, and Farkas noticed the torrent of wind was slowly returning to areas they'd already passed. He didn't like that wind... it was worse than a cold wind... it was so strong it practically created a physical barrier, and it threw needle-like shards of ice that could do as much damage as a dragon's ice shout... Farkas was pretty sure it wasn't a natural wind, and it was making him uncomfortable.

They climbed steadily upward and Farkas was starting to notice the thinner air. He'd been up a few mountains where the air got thin before, but this was higher than any other mountain. Farkas was starting to feel a little short of breath, and Duna seemed even worse off having to shout every few minutes.

So when Duna cleared a section of trail that revealed an ice wraith, Farkas didn't waste time with his mace... one fireball from his staff and there was no more ice wraith.

"That... works..." Duna blinked, looking back at him in surprise. She had just conjured her bow, but hadn't even had time to nock an arrow yet.

"Don't wanna waste time or energy up here," he explained. Duna nodded, looking a little breathless and they continued up the path. Farkas was starting to feel like his armor was getting heavier when they finally made it to the sunlit, snow covered peak. The wind didn't howl around them up here, but is was cold... it reminded Farkas of a sunny day in the dead of Skyrim's winter... not terrible, but definitely freezing. Duna shivered, looking around with a look of slight awe... but Farkas didn't see anyone there... instead he caught the distinctive scent of a dragon... Farkas swore and drew his staff, which instantly prompted Duna to conjure her bow. Then he heard the massive wings as what he'd at first thought was a large rock took to the air...

Duna ducked closer to him and began to draw her bow, but then, just before Farkas fired his staff, the dragon landed in front of them and spoke...

"Drem Yol Lok. Greetings, wunduniik. I am Paarthurnax. Who are you? What brings you to my strunmah... my mountain?"

Farkas starred in shock... _this_ was Paarthunax... he was a dull gold dragon, with one of his horns and some of his spiked scales broken off... he was easily as big as Alduin and he looked _ancient_.

"Y-You're the master of the Greybeards?" Duna asked, sounding as shocked as Farkas felt.

"They see me as master," the dragon replied with what looked like a smile, "Wuth... Onik... Old and wise. It is true, I am old..." Paarthunax made a noise that Farkas guessed was a chuckle... he blinked a few times trying to process what he was seeing...

"They could have fucking told us he was a dragon," Farkas grumbled under his breath... at least now he knew why he hadn't smelled any hints of a fifth person...

"Yeah, that would have been nice," Duna muttered just as quietly.

"Hmm?" Paarthunax asked, "krosis, forgive me, my hearing is not what it once was..."

"No, I'm sorry," Duna replied quickly, "I... uh... we just weren't expecting you to be a dragon."

"I am as my father Akatosh made me," Paarthunax replied, seeming unbothered as he looked carefully at Duna... "as are you... Dovahkiin," he added with a smile... then he looked to Farkas. Farkas was instantly reminded of the scrutinizing way Kodlak studied a potential new recruit for the Companions... "but you, Grohiik kogaan..." Paarthunax said almost sadly, "more as Hircine made you zu'u koraav..."

Farkas's heart jumped nervously, this dragon could read a person better than Kodak could...

"except hin sil... your heart..." the dragon added with another smile, "that is still as Akatosh intended zu'u sahvot."

Farkas just blinked in surprise... he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but that wasn't it...

"But again, krosis, Dovahkiin," Paarthunax turned back to Duna, "I expect you would not come all this way for tinvaak with an old dovah. Tell me, why do you come here, volaan? Why do you intrude on my meditation?"

Farkas was hesitant to trust a dragon, but the longer he and Duna stayed and talked with Paarthunax, the more at ease Farkas began to feel. He hoped that wasn't just the thin air getting to him.

Paarthunax seemed to be enjoying talking to them. He answered all of Duna's questions with lengthy explanations. He also did seem quite wise, and he wasn't kidding when he said he was old...

Paarthunax had apparently been the one who had first rebelled against Alduin and begun teaching shouts to mortals... and he had dedicated the last few eras to waiting for Alduin's return, and learning the peaceful Way of the Voice. Something about working to overcome an evil nature and not give into desires resonated with Farkas... he actually liked the idea of having this old dragon for an ally...


	41. Back at Jorrvaskr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief instance of vulgarly suggestive language.

Paarthunax had also been unable to teach Duna the shout they needed, but he knew of a way she could learn it. They needed an Elder Scroll. Farkas didn't have the first clue what that was or where to find one... Duna knew of a tower in Cyrodiil that studied them, but neither of them wanted to risk going to Cyrodiil if they could help it.

Master Arngeir, despite being grumpy about it, suggested they ask the mages in Winterhold where to find one. Farkas wasn't happy about that idea either, but it was better than going to Cyrodiil.

With the prospect of going all the way to Winterhold Duna decided she'd rather go back to Jorrvaskr to rest a bit more instead of just taking brief stop in Riverwood to finish his armor. Farkas had no complaints.

They made it down the mountain that afternoon, and were trudging into Jorrvaskr by midnight. Farkas couldn't sleep with Duna so far down the hall instead of in his arms. He didn't even have the sound of Vilkas across their small hallway to keep the room from being too quiet. It was miserable. He hardly slept at all, and was just eager for the morning to come.

When Duna got up she joined him for breakfast and then went straight to the women's baths downstairs. Farkas, meanwhile, went and updated Kodlak on all that had happened. It was one of the few times in his life that Farkas could remember Kodlak looking so surprised when he explained how close he'd come to death. Kodlak was also more comfortable with the notion of trusting Paarthunax than Farkas had expected him to be. He was honored the Harbinger trusted his judgement.

When he was done speaking with Kodlak he went for a bath himself. He hadn't expected to be home again so soon, but it was definitely a relief to take a proper soak in the familiar bath.

When he got out, Duna was hard at work up at the forge. Farkas was happy to join her and let her make sure the armor was going to fit...

They were just about to call it quits for the evening and go in for dinner when Farkas caught the scent of his brother on the wind... it smelled like he still had Lydia with him, which meant they'd be inducting Duna's housecarl that evening. Farkas looked down to the yard to see Skjor standing outside. The older werewolf looked up at him and nodded; he'd smelled them too. Farkas replied with a nod and Skjor went inside, likely to collect everyone else.

Duna finished collecting and putting away their work in progress and looked up at him a little confused.

"This worked out good," he smiled, "now we get to see Vilkas speak for Lydia becoming our shield-sister too."

Kodlak got himself dressed in his full wolf armor and made it out to the back yard just as Vilkas and Lydia were making their way up the steps. Vilkas looked surprised but happy to see Farkas was the one waiting for them by the front. Farkas raised an eyebrow, nodding his head subtly toward Lydia. Vilkas replied with a subtle but affirmative nod, and Farkas could tell his brother was trying not to smile too much. Farkas just smirked and made his way around the building, relaying the affirmative nod to the rest of the Circle so that Kodlak, Skjor, Aela, and Farkas were standing in the yard, ready for them, as Vilkas led Lydia around to the yard.

Duna watched curiously from the porch with Ria and Torvar. Njada and Athis apparently hadn't made it outside with such short notice.

Farkas smiled as he listened to his brother vouch for Lydia. It was the exact same ceremony lines they all knew, but Farkas could hear the pride sincerity in Vilkas's voice. He was glad they'd managed to be here for this.

Farkas was always impressed at how quickly Tilma could go from cooking what would have been a normal meal to throwing together a legitimate feast. He suspected she must use some kind of magic to do it...

Duna was quick to sit beside Lydia, asking her how her trial had gone. Farkas didn't bother to hide his grin as he noticed she'd sat on Lydia's right, leaving the chair to Duna's right for him. Moments after he sat down, Duna's hand found his under the table. Vilkas just smirked and shook his head at him as he sat down in the other chair beside Lydia.

Kodlak took his usual seat at the head of the table and soon they were all sitting around their great hall enjoying a good meal, listening to Vilkas tell of how Lydia had taken down one of the most notorious bandit leaders in the Rift... fighting back to back with Vilkas, the two of them seamlessly took down the bandit chief and all of his thugs.

Lydia blushed and insisted she couldn't have done it alone, to which Vilkas had laughed and replied, "aye, neither could I, that's why we went together."

Then Duna was persuaded to tell the story of the dragon Lydia had helped kill... most of Jorrvaskr didn't know that was a slightly sore topic for Farkas and Vilkas... but as he listened to Duna tell the story he couldn't bring himself to be grumpy.

She used her hands expressively as she talked, so Farkas had had to let go, but that gave him the opportunity to instead rest his hand on her lower thigh, just above her knee... he heard her pulse jump, but she gave no indication of discomfort. Farkas enjoyed watching as she explained how they'd been chasing a deer only to have a dragon swoop down and snatch it... and then of course decide to attack them.

As Duna went on to describe how Lydia had handled her screaming quick instructions to avoid getting tail-whipped, Farkas got a little distracted just admiring her. He'd already heard this story so instead of really listening he just enjoyed watching her tell it... admiring the way the firelight reflected in her eyes... they way her cheeks began to flush as she drank more mead...

Farkas suddenly realized Duna had drank her entire mug and actually accepted another when Tilma offered it... he'd never seen her drink more than one.

When Duna finished her story Vilkas told of a bear Lydia had killed on their way to the Rift, which prompted Ria to chime in about a bear she'd killed.

It was a nice evening... Farkas was curious to see how many drinks Duna could handle... she slowed way down with her second, and was hesitant to accept a third, and Farkas was a little surprised she did.

By the time everyone was beginning to get up to head off for bed, Duna had finished her third drink and was much more quiet and reserved.

"You ok?" Farkas asked quietly.

"Yeah," she replied flatly. Farkas raised an eyebrow at her... she almost smelled angry... then she glanced up at him and sighed. "Sorry," she grumbled, "I've never had this much alcohol. Not sure I like this feeling."

"Ah," Farkas nodded and handed her a mug of water, "here, this might help. Eat some bread too."

Duna nodded and accepted the mug and reached for a piece of bread from the center of the table. Farkas paid carful attention to her for several minutes... she actually didn't seem too drunk, just grumpy... and definitely tired.

"Might also help to just sleep it off," Farkas added gently once she'd finished the chunk of bread.

"Sleep sounds good," she sighed, getting slowly up from the table. Farkas noticed she didn't seem wobbly at all... "So... I guess this is goodnight," she added with another sigh.

"I'll walk you down," Farkas offered standing as well.

Duna downed the rest of her water and accepted Farkas's outstretched hand. They walked downstairs and Duna stopped at the common room. Farkas wanted to ask her to just come to his room... he didn't care how it would look, he wanted to hold her... but in Duna's current mood he thought it best to just let her go sleep where she chose.

She still looked and sounded grumpy, but she stood on her tiptoes so they could share a quickhug and kiss.

"Goodnight. I love you," she whispered before she dropped back to her flat feet. Farkas gently kissed her forehead before he let her go.

"I love you too. Goodnight my little rabbit."

He stood in the door way for a moment after she disappeared into the room before making his way back towards his room. He was trying not to feel disappointed, or to have hurt feelings. Nothing seemed particularly wrong, she just apparently wasn't a happy drunk... Farkas supposed he should have been glad she still kissed him goodnight and said she loved him while she looked that tired and grumpy.

Farkas wasn't surprised to find Vilkas in his room at the bar waiting for him.

"So," Vilkas chuckled, "I take it you're not back already because you missed me... what happened?"

Farkas chuckled as well and sat down to explain how they'd met Paarthunax.

But before he even got to explain that the Greybeards were actually led by a dragon, they were interrupted by a commotion from down the hall...

"Oh please!" Farkas heard Njada angrily raise her voice... he and Vilkas both paused to listen to the irritated voices coming from the whelps' common room, "you're hardly ever here, what do _you_ know about being a Companion? Don't you dare talk to me about honor!"

Raising an eyebrow in concern, Farkas got up and opened his door to hear better...

"Shut up Njada," Lydia's voice cut in angrily.

"Or what, you over-inflated guard? We all know you're just here 'cause you're waiting to jump Vilkas's bones. Too bad for you he's sweet on Ria!"

Vilkas clenched his fist angrily and got to his feet as Njada made that claim.

"Leave my friend out of this, bitch!" Duna snapped angrily, "Vilkas spoke for her and Farkas spoke for me, we have as much right to be here as you do, so get the fuck over it!"

"Vilkas spoke for Ria too," Njada spat back, "and I'd _love_ to hear about how you proved your _honor_ to Farkas... what's it like to ride that giant brute's cock? Or can you even manage it without breaking those pitiful little hips of yours?"

Farkas let an angry growl rumble up from his chest... how dare she...

They heard Athis, Ria, and Torvar snicker at that, and Farkas could smell Duna's furry from down the hall... he and Vilkas both hurried out the door and began making their way to the common room to intervene as Duna began yelling back...

"First of all," she began, "that would be none of your fucking business. Second, like I said, we're not married yet so I don't actually know. And third... I bet it's better than fucking whatever poor fool you trick into your bed!"

"Ha! Say what you want you little shit, but there's no way your stupid brute could match my man’s... _finesse_..."

Farkas was about to charge straight in, but he suddenly realized Vilkas smelled actually murderous... he grabbed Vilkas's shoulder before he could charge into the room. He thought Vilkas might actually kill Njada if he didn't take a moment to calm down.

"You're disgusting," they heard Lydia grumble.

"You know Farkas is only in the Circle because Vilkas is the brains between the two of them, right?" Njada started up again venomously, "he's too stupid to actually have a clue what's going on here, that's why Skjor doesn't mind him fucking off with you all the time, we don't need either of you."

Farkas tightened his grip on Vilkas as he could feel his brother getting angrier. Farkas was determined Njada was going to get a good taste of someone's fist for that, but it wasn't worth killing.

He was about to tell Vilkas to calm down and stomp into the room himself, but then they heard the distinctive sound of a fist connecting with someone's nose...

"You don't know the first damn thing about Farkas!" Duna yelled angrily and Farkas smelled Njada's blood... Farkas let go of Vilkas and they both rushed around the corner, but no one saw them, the whole room was a mess by then. Duna had broken Njada's nose and then kept after her, Athis had jumped in to defend her and punched Duna square in the face. Then Lydia had jumped in to Duna's defense, Torvar rushed in to help Athis, and Ria jumped in to help Torvar.

The room wasn't big enough for a brawl this size... a dresser was broken, a sconce got knocked of the wall...

Farkas managed to grab Torvar by the back of his shirt and throw him backwards into the hallway. Skjor and Aela had arrived to figure out what was going on by then. Vilkas grabbed Ria and tossed her (not gently) out into the hall where she collided with Torvar. Lydia saw the brothers barge in and quickly extracted herself, looking a little embarrassed, which prompted Athis to notice as well and quickly get out of the way. Duna had Njada in a grapple and actually looked like she might have faired alright against the larger woman if the fight hadn't been four on two.

Farkas grabbed both women by the shoulders in an effort to break them up, but then Vilkas stepped forward and punched Njada square in the face. Farkas let go of her as she was knocked out cold and Athis darted forward to catch her.

"When she wakes up tell her not to presume to tell anyone who I am or am not sweet on," Vilkas growled, "and I don't ever want to hear her speak of my brother again."

Duna was just looking up at Farkas with wide eyes, looking surprised and embarrassed. Well, one wide eye... her left was starting to swell where Athis had punched her. Farkas shook his head and sighed before he scooped Duna up in one arm and carried her out of the common room.

"One of you get this cleaned up," he growled at Torvar and Ria.

"But... she started it," Torvar complained, pointing at Duna.

"That's not what it sounded like from our rooms," Aela replied curtly.

"Next time you wanna fight, do it in the yard," Skjor added with a scowl, "Tilma has enough to clean up."

"I need some air," Vilkas growled and stomped upstairs.

Farkas shook his head again as he watched him go and Lydia look uncertainly after him.

"Go on whelp," Skjor nodded at her, "he could probably use a sparring partner."

"A-alright," Lydia nodded before nervously following Vilkas.

"Come on," Farkas said a little more gruffly than he meant to. Duna didn't protest as he walked back to his room with her. He set her gently down on the foot of his bed.

"Farkas, I'm sorry," she whispered quickly.

"What for?" He asked, kneeling down to her eye level.

"I... I just lost my temper and..."

"I'm not mad at you," Farkas interrupted. "We heard what Njada said from here." He gently reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it out of her face with a smile. "I wanted to do the same thing when she insulted your honor. Woulda run in sooner but I thought Vilkas might 've killed her if I just let him go."

Duna gave a weak smile at that and Farkas sat beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her.

"Thank you for defending me," he whispered before leaning down to kiss her. Duna kissed back, smelling like her anger slowly melted.

"Of course," she whispered back when they parted several moments later, "I love you."

"I love you too," Farkas grinned, pulling back so he could see her face... she still had a swelling black eye... "Can you heal yourself or do you need me to get you a potion?" Farkas asked gently.

"Oh divines," Duna grumbled as her left hand lit with gold light, "I forgot I could heal myself... I must actually be drunk."

Farkas chuckled, hugged her a little tighter, and kissed her forehead as the bruise around her eye disappeared.


	42. Sleeplessness and Preparations

Farkas didn't want to let Duna go back to the common room, but after the implications Njada made they both knew they couldn't be sharing a bed without raising further suspicion.

But that meant he was still awake, unable to relax and get to sleep when Vilkas came back downstairs sometime after midnight.

"You're still up?" Vilkas asked, sticking his head in Farkas's open doorway.

"Not tryin' to be, but yeah," Farkas grumbled as he sat up. It was no use, he couldn't sleep without Duna. He may as well get up and finish his talk with Vilkas...

He got out of bed and went to his bar, but then stopped and looked up as he caught Vilkas's scent... he smelled like he'd either been grappling Lydia in very close combat, or they definitely hadn't been just sparring...

"Is Duna alright?" Vilkas asked, casually closing the door and joining Farkas at the bar.

"She's fine," Farkas nodded, then with a smirk he added, "sparrin' make you feel better?"

Vilkas ran his hand across his face, clearly trying to hide either a blush or a smirk.

"Aye... you could say that..." he nodded.

Farkas chuckled, "what happened?"

"I uh... well, neither of us had armor on... so when she said Skjor sent her to spar with me I suggested grappling... and uh..." Vilkas scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "I might have gotten a little too... into... the feeling of pinning her beneath me..."

Farkas's eyebrows shot up in surprise... that was definitely not something he expected to hear from Vilkas, "you didn't..."

"I only kissed her," Vilkas shook his head, "I... I had her pinned and I told her Njada was wrong; that I only care for Ria as a whelp in my charge. The way she looked at me after that... I didn't even think about it..." Vilkas shook his head again and sighed... "I don't know what I'm doing brother... the beast within has never been this insistent before..."

"You're fallin' for her, that's what you're doing," Farkas chuckled as he handed Vilkas a drink. "How'd she react?"

"Uh... _enthusiastically_... I think would be the word for it..." Vilkas admitted with a smirk, "I think she might have let me do more than kiss her if I'd tried, but I didn't trust myself to not risk our honor."

"Good," Farkas chuckled, "you're well on your way to bein' as miserable as I am." Farkas opened a bottle of ale for himself... maybe more alcohol would help...

"Miserable?" Vilkas raised his eyebrow in confused concern. "I thought you were happy?"

"I am," Farkas sighed, realizing how that had sounded.

"Aye, you sound like it," Vilkas nodded sarcastically.

"No, really," Farkas said with another sigh, "I love her, she loves me... I get to help her fight dragons, travel all over Skyrim with her... I am happy... generally... but right now," Farkas groaned, "I just can't fucking sleep."

"You mean worse than normal?" Vilkas asked with a raised eyebrow.

Farkas nodded. "After we got her back from the Thalmor, she cuddled up in my arms and fell asleep... and I just went to sleep with her... it was the best sleep of my life, and now I can't even get restless sleep without her."

"Ah," Vilkas nodded, "Skjor mentioned that to me once... he said the beast actually calms down and can rest when we sleep beside our mate... though I'm not sure it makes sense for that to have come into effect before you've actually mated her..."

"Makes sense to me," Farkas sighed, "my mind has been pretty made up for a while, and now I know she loves me too... When she's asleep in my arms, there's nowhere else I have to be, the beast blood is calm and just wants to hold her."

"My blood was definitely _not_ calm holding Lydia tonight..." Vilkas said with a thoughtful smirk.

"Don't imagine mine would be either if Duna and I were grappling," Farkas chuckled.

Vilkas laughed. "I do actually sometimes just feel calm around her," he admitted, "like tonight at dinner, I was just proud of her." Vilkas smiled again, and Farkas smiled too. He liked seeing his brother so happy. It had become a bit of a rare thing since accepting the beast blood... which brought another thought to Farkas's mind.

"She knows about your beast blood?"

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "I was afraid she'd learned of it for the first time when she saw you transform chasing the Thalmor, but when she hardly reacted to it, I asked her later. She said she was in the bath when Aela was explaining things to Duna. Apparently Aela just told her everything after she told her she was sworn to keep her Thane's secrets, so that included the Companions' secrets."

Farkas sighed and shook his head, "Aela just wants more to accept the curse..."

"Lydia told me she thinks our resolve to deny the wolf is honorable, and will support our search for a cure however she can." Vilkas smiled, "she really is a good woman."

"Good," Farkas nodded, he realized at this rate Lydia might be ready to be married before Duna was... "let me know if you need to borrow a certain amulet..."

Vilkas chuckled, "it might be a while yet... but I will."

Farkas spent the rest of the night talking to Vilkas.He eventually got back around to explaining who Paarthunax was and what he'd told them. Vilkas pointed out that if he had to bring Duna up to Winterhold he'd better not delay too long, it was nearly Frost Fall, and Winterhold was only going to get colder. Farkas was starting to be eager not to take too long to leave just so he'd be able to hold Duna and actually sleep again. He'd never imagined he'd be so eager to leave home so quickly.

  
  


The next day Farkas felt sluggish and miserable. The beast blood kept him alert, so he was functional, but two nights of not even restless sleep were wearing on him. Fortunately there wasn't a lot he had to do.

He smiled tiredly as Duna joined him for breakfast.

"Feelin' better?" He asked as she sat down beside him.

"Much better," she nodded. She smiled and her hand found his under the table, but then her eyebrows quirked in concern. "You ok?" She asked, leaning forward to look at him better.

"Yeah," Farkas sighed, he figured he must look as bad as he felt. "Didn't sleep," he explained.

"At all?" Duna asked in surprise.

"Couldn't," he shrugged, "blood wouldn't settle down." He looked at her meaningfully... for a moment she just looked worried and confused, but then he saw the realization in her eyes.

"Is there anyway to help with that?" She asked quietly.

"Not while we're at Jorrvaskr," Farkas shook his head.

"Ok," Duna nodded and squeezed his hand, "I should be able to get your armor finished today. I can be ready to go not long after that."

Farkas just smiled in relief at that as hopes of curling up together in a tent began to run through his mind.

After breakfast Duna went up to the forge, and Farkas went out and sparred with Athis and Torvar just to keep himself and the whelps on their toes. Thanks to the beast blood Farkas wasn't too slowed down by his lack of sleep, but they had both improved since he'd been gone... Torvar actually managed to catch him in the thigh with the hammer he'd upgraded to since working with Vilkas. It took all of his strength and training to not let the pain show on his face and to shrug off that hit. He was definitely going to have quite the bruise if he didn't do something to heal it... if he weren't a werewolf it would have probably broken his leg. He managed to toss Torvar back with a good shield-bash, and then knock Athis back with his mace before he called a halt for the morning. To his relief, neither of the whelps seemed to think he was calling it quits early, they looked like he'd managed to exhaust them pretty well.

Farkas refused to let himself limp as he walked back to the porch. He smelled the lovely scent of smokey honey and wildflowers before he actually saw Duna sitting at the porch waiting for him... he must really be out of it if he hadn't noticed her come down from the forge...

"Are you ok?" She asked worriedly looking up at him, she got to her feet as he approached.

"Yeah," he sighed, dropping into a chair. Duna handed him a mug of water looking a little worried. He downed the water and set the mug back down. Then Duna stepped in front of him and her gentle hands brushed his sweaty hair out of his face and he couldn't help but smile as he looked up into her deep blue eyes. One hand rested on his cheek, but the other reached down and rested on his thigh... right where Torvar had hit... Farkas winced slightly at the pressure, and Duna raised an eyebrow at him knowingly. Then he felt the warmth of Duna's healing spell pour into the injury. Farkas closed his eyes and sighed comfortably as the pain left him. He ran his hands up and let them rest on her hips and across the small of her back. Everything about her presence felt and smelled more intense as she poured her magic into him... she smelled like honey... Farkas wondered if the healing magic smelled like that because it it was Duna's magic, or if Duna smelled like that because she cast healing magic so much... he didn't mind either way.

"Could you two possibly _not_ make love on the porch?" Njada retorted, having just come outside.

Farkas opened his eyes to glare angrily at the whelp as Duna's spell faded.

"Oh shut it," Duna snapped, "it's just a healing spell, if that's what you think making love looks like I question all that shit you claimed to know..." She finished the spell and pulled her hands away from him, glaring at Njada in irritation.

"Never realized healing spells were so intimate..." Athis retorted.

"Watch it whelps," Farkas growled at the two of them. He wasn't in the mood to be teased, especially after last night... but then he realized Duna was standing between his knees and and with his hands on her hips it did look a little inappropriate. He grumpily let go of her so she could step back.

"Don't you have things to clean?" He added, glaring at Njada.

"I'm going to work on the training dummies now," Njada grumbled, rolling her eyes as she continued out to the yard. Farkas was glad Skjor had ordered her to spend the day cleaning... she wasn't required to listen of course, but Kodlak knew she would if Skjor told her to...

"Well anyway," Duna's voice pulled Farkas's thoughts back to much more pleasant thoughts as she smiled back at him, "your armor's finished, you should try it on so I can make sure it fits."

Farkas grinned as Duna directed his attention to the armor set sitting on the table beside her. His dragon scale armor... it was a thing of beauty... it was a little different from hers in the front, but then it would have to be in order to fit him. It looked like steel plate armor, the nice kind that had several overlapping plates, but there was no steel... just the nearly impenetrable, leathery, spiked dragon scales. Farkas got up and excitedly picked up the armor set... it was lighter than any armor he'd ever worn as an adult, and he knew it was stronger too.

He was practically giddy as he collected the helmet, gauntlets, and boots she'd made to match and hurried inside to go change.

There were a few adjustments that needed to be made, but soon Farkas was back out in the yard, practicing lunging with his shield and swinging his training sword at the practice dummies. The armor felt great. It was so light, he was pretty sure if he'd tried he could move almost as quietly in it as he could his regular clothes... he could move so much quicker too.

Duna looked just as happy to see him in it as he was to wear it.

Once Farkas was finished beating up the training dummies so Njada had to fix them again, he was confident his armor was properly fitted and adjusted. They packed their gear back up, said their goodbyes, and set off that afternoon. Farkas never thought he'd be so relieved to be leaving home... he almost felt bad for it... but holding Duna's hand as they walked through Whiterun made it hard to feel bad about anything.

She had decided not to bother with her mask, and several of the guards recognized her, not from the bounties, but as the Dragonborn. Farkas just grinned proudly as Duna looked more surprised every time someone greeted her with "Dragonborn." The fact that he was walking through town holding her hand while people recognized her made his wolf spirit proud and content as well.

They stopped off at the general goods store for a few extra supplies, and were riding away from the Whiterun stables with a few hours of daylight left.

They both knew that heading in the direction of Winterhold they wouldn't reach any towns before dark, so they didn't try. As the sun began to get low in the sky Farkas couldn't help but grin as they pulled their horses off the road a ways and found suitable spot to set up camp.

He noticed Duna was smiling too as they unsaddled their horses.

Duna set up the tent while Farkas built the fire, and pulled out the rations Tilma had packed for him.

"So," Duna began, sitting beside him once the tent was up, "why couldn't you sleep last night?"

Farkas looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, he thought he'd gotten that point across...

"I mean," Duna added, "I gathered that it has to do with the beast blood but..." she just looked confused. Farkas understood her question now.

"How much did Aela tell you about werewolf mates?" He asked, watching her expression carefully.

Duna's eyes widened and he heard her pulse quicken, then a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Well..." Duna said slowly, "she mentioned that after... m-mating... that you'd be... bound to me f-for life..." Duna looked down and Farkas could hear her pulse speeding up, but he also smelled her sweet scent getting stronger... that got his own pulse starting to speed up as Duna continued... "aside from that... she mostly talked about... uh... mating... in both forms... and uh... what that's like..."

"By the gods..." Farkas grumbled, "she completely missed the point ..." Farkas couldn't believe he'd figured this out better than they had... "and they call me the icebrain," he shook his head.

Duna just looked up at him in confusion.

"It's not the physical stuff that would bind me to you," Farkas said gently. He reached up to run his fingers gently into her hair as he rested his palm against her cheek. "I'm in love. That's what binds me to you."

Duna's eyes went wide and Farkas smiled.

"I've loved you for a while now," he continued, "but I've been all yours since you told me you love me. I couldn't relax with you so far down the hall."

"So..." Duna said slowly, looking like she was processing what he was saying... "does that mean you'll be able to relax with me in a tent?"

Farkas's heart leapt happily... she didn't sound uncomfortable with that idea... she sounded hopeful actually...

"Probably," he grinned.

"Ok," Duna smiled, blushing a little, "that's probably good because... well, it's starting to get pretty cold..."

"Don't worry," he chuckled, "I'd be happy to keep you warm."


	43. Ticklish Spots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These next two chapters I thought flowed better as two slightly shorter chapters than one huge one. Enjoy the shenanigans ;)

Farkas woke the next morning feeling better rested than he could have hoped for. The dim light of early dawn was just beginning to filter into the tent, Duna was sleeping soundly with her head against his chest. He wasn't in danger of falling off a bed... his bearskin cloak was plenty big and warm enough to cover both of them... this was how he liked waking up. He just smiled and began to gently run his fingers through Duna's hair... she sighed and smiled in her sleep but didn't stir.

His wolf spirit seemed grumpily resigned to patience... either that or he had finally beaten it so firmly into submission that it wasn't fightinghim... but either way, he was finally able to relax. It was lovely, he'd been able to simply kiss her goodnight and hold her... there was no urge to claim her before someone else could... he knew she wouldn't leave him, especially not for anyone else... all there was to do was make her comfortable and happy... to keep protecting her and help her save the world... then they'd settle down and be regular Companions... or maybe they'd go somewhere and get a house of their own...

Farkas continued gently stroking her hair as he lay in their bedroll, and just let his mind wander to fantasies about the house they'd have... he'd build her a place worthy of the heir of Talos... they'd pick a place far out in the country side, far away from any of the court nobles and the life she'd run away from, and then he'd build her a house as big as she wanted. There would be a grand dining hall... an armory... maybe a library if she wanted one... their bedroom...

He'd build her a bedroom fit for a Jarl... no, a queen... with a big, comfortable bed... the kind with the straw actually stuffed into a mattress, with good leather so there would be no poking or scratching... and a big soft blanket...

Then his mind drifted to the other rooms they'd need and he suddenly found himself imagining the things he'd make for their children... a baby's crib to start with... a rocking horse, maybe he'd carve it to look like a dragon... a wooden sword for a boy, a doll for a girl— no, a doll _and_ a wooden sword for a girl... Then he imagined children playing... he'd want more than one, he and his brother had always been there for each other, and he'd want his children to have that too... they'd probably have blue eyes and dark hair, though for all Farkas knew there could be some blond or red hair in his bloodline... Duna at least probably knew what her parents looked like...

Farkas imagined helping get his children fitted for their first set of armor... showing them how to hold and swing a sword... showing them how to throw a proper punch... teaching them about fighting with honor. Duna would teach them to read and write... and to shoot. They could go on family hunting trips...

Farkas sighed happily, enjoying his daydream.

Duna began to stir not long after sunrise, and the first thing she did was sigh and snuggle a little closer. Farkas kissed her forehead and then smiled as she blinked up at him.

"Did you sleep any better?" She asked with a yawn as she rolled over and stretched her arms.

"Much better," Farkas nodded as he sat up. His wolf spirit stirred suddenly as he looked down at her still lying on the bedroll with her arms stretched above her head... his eyes trailed along the shape of her curves and he heard her heartbeat pick up... he could tell she was watching him look her over... then he suddenly remembered how ticklish her sides had been that one time he'd chased her through that stream and a devious idea crept into his mind...

He turned over, placing a hand on either side of her and holding himself up on his hands and knees. He liked the way he heard her breath catch in her throat... he liked the way she looked underneath him, watching him in nervous anticipation with her arms still above her head... gods she looked so sexy like that...

With a chuckle he leaned down and kissed her, holding himself up on one elbow while he ran his other hand up to grasp both her hands above her head. She smelled comfortable as she kissed him back, which made him grin as he pulled back to look into her eyes again. His grin quickly shifted into a mischievous smirk as he leaned onto his other elbow, still holding both her hands in one of his.

Duna narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, "what are you...?"

Her question trailed off as Farkas chuckled and ran his now free hand down her side, making her jump, but he still had a firm grip of her hands. He chuckled again as he began to tickle her... she squirmed and giggled, and then squealed with laughter, trying to wiggle her hands free of his grasp. His fingers ran along her side, under her arms down to her hips, then across her stomach... he leaned back down to kiss her neck and tickled her with his beard as he did so. He loved sound of gasping laughter that escaped her lips as she squirmed beneath him... gods it was arousing...

He finally let one of her hands slip free and smirked, waiting to see what she'd do with it... to his excitement, she made no moves to get away, but instead began trying to reach for his ticklish spots on his sides. Farkas laughed as her fingers danced delicately between his ribs and his hip, but as she began to move her fingers to his stomach he realized she was dangerously close to tickling something else...

He rolled off of her, falling back on his half of the bedroll, and pulled her over with him. Still giggling, she managed to wiggle her other hand free and quickly went after tickling him again. Farkas was quick to reach back for her sides with both hands, making her squeal with laughter again. But she seemed to have either noticed or remembered that it was his lower stomach he was trying to keep her away from and that was exactly where she began trying to tickle. Farkas laughed almost involuntarily and tried to shift backwards while he kept a hold of her hips, but she squirmed away from him. He caught one of her hands and pulled her back to his chest, and to his surprise, she leaned in and kissed his lips.

Farkas hummed contentedly as he gave up trying to tickle her and just wrapped an arm around her waist as he kissed her back. But then he suddenly realized she'd just done the exact same thing to him as he'd done to her only moments ago... the kiss was a distraction...

Duna's free hand suddenly ran across his lower stomach, making Farkas jump. She caught him off guard so he didn't quite jump quick enough and and she definitely had him aroused enough... her hand ran across the head of his erection as she reached below his bellybutton.

Farkas saw stars at the sensation of her light, stroking touch and he let out a gasped groan. Duna froze and then jumped back with a start, staring in surprise at the large bulge in his pants. Farkas could only sort of hear her racing pulse over the pounding of his own blood in his ears, and she smelled way too tempting for him to think clearly. He desperately wanted her to touch him again, but at least part of his brain knew she would probably not be ok with that, and he just barely managed to refrain from begging her not to stop...

Somewhere in their flailing about in the small tent, at least one of them had bumped the tent poles, and before Farkas could begin to think about what he should do or say, the tent poles slipped and the whole tent suddenly came down on top of them.

Duna gave a startled yelp as the heavy oiled leather knocked her back into Farkas's chest, pinning them both in place for a moment.

It took Farkas much longer than normal to get his bearings as he tried to deal with his racing heart and throbbing arousal while lifting the tent back up at the same time...

Duna managed to back out of the collapsed tent first and then held the front open for him. When Farkas crawled out Duna dropped the tent and sat back in the grass beside the remains of their fire. She looked up at him sheepishly for a moment before she smirked in embarrassment. Farkas was pretty sure his face must be as red as hers as he knelt in the grass trying to get his arousal back under control.

"Sorry about..." he started to apologize but trailed off when she began to giggle, and then to laugh. He cocked his eyebrow curiously at her.

"No," she shook her head, "no Farkas, I'm sorry, you... that was fun," she smiled, "you're an ass and I had to get you back, but I liked it... I..." she blushed a bit darker as she glanced back toward his waistline, "I didn't mean to..." she trailed off and Farkas sighed in relief... she didn't sound upset with him, or scared, or uncomfortable...

"I've been tryin' not to... uh... not to scare you with... that," he admitted awkwardly.

"I guess you meant it when you said you wanted me," Duna smirked. Farkas's heart jumped...

"I do," he nodded, meeting her eyes sincerely. Duna smiled and blushed at that, which only made Farkas's heart pound harder.

"I... I wasn't expecting..." she blushed and looked down, "they were never drawn that big in the medical tomes," she said quietly, "or the diagrams in the 'Wifely Duties' book..."

Farkas couldn't help but chuckle in satisfaction at that... he'd never exactly compared himself to another man, especially not while aroused. He and Vilkas had never been modest around each other, (they'd had figurative and literal pissing contests as whelps) but that was his only real basis for comparison, and well, they were twins... still, he had a pretty decent idea that, like everything else about him, he was larger than most. He looked again at Duna's thin frame and hoped that wouldn't be a problem...

"I also meant it when I said I'll wait as long as you need me to," he added seriously.

Duna glanced quickly back to his waistline before looking up to meet his eyes. Farkas's mind was finally clearing enough he could notice she smelled just as nervous as he was afraid she would... but then she nodded, and giggled again.

"Well, if the maids from back home are to be believed, I'm going to be one lucky woman when I finally get the nerve to marry you..." she giggled nervously and Farkas felt like his heart did a somersault...

"And that'll make me a lucky, happy man..." was all Farkas could think to say.


	44. Surprises and Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note to avoid possible confusion: this chapter was posted the same time as chapter 43.  
Enjoy the shenanigans ;)

They did finally get their things packed up and get back on the road. Farkas figured the road would be easier on the horses than the mountain pass, so even though it was longer they decided to take the road to Dawnstar and then head east to Winterhold. It would also give them an inn to stay at instead of risk needing to set up camp in the snow. The ride was peaceful... except for Farkas's discomfort at the aftermath of his arousal that morning... he felt like he'd been kicked in the groin and riding a horse wasn't helping. Fortunately it subsided by lunch and he was able to avoid having to admit his troubles... he didn't want to inadvertently pressure Duna with something like that.

They made it to Dawnstar as the sun was setting and the sky was clouding over. Farkas could smell it would probably be snowing within the hour.

"I am definitely going to need to fur-line my armor or something," Duna grumbled as they stabled their horses.

They got inside the Windpeak Inn just as the bard was saying something about a new song she'd just learned from one of the traveling bards from the Bards' College. The inn's patrons all turned curiously at the prospect of a new song, so no one paid them any attention as Duna made her way to the bar to rent a room. Farkas's heart skipped happily as he heard her request a room with a double bed, but then his attention was drawn to the bard as she began to sing and play her lute...

"_Our hero, our hero_

_Claims a warrior's heart_

_I tell you, I tell you_

_The Dragonborn comes..._"

Duna turned in surprise and looked from the bard to Farkas, and Farkas just smiled. He had a guess which bard had written this one...

"_She's a woman as pretty_

_As the clear midnight sky_

_You'll see, you'll see_

_The Dragonborn comes..._

_With a Voice wielding power_

_Of the ancient Nord art_

_Believe, believe,_

_The Dragonborn comes..._"

"She's... she's singing about me?" Duna whispered in shock.

"Sure sounds like it," Farkas nodded with a proud smirk.

"_It's an end to the evil_

_Of all Skyrim's foes_

_Beware, beware_

_The Dragonborn comes..._

_For the darkness has passed_

_And the legend yet grows_

_You'll know, you'll know_

_The Dragonborn's come_."

The bard finished and several of the patrons clapped, Farkas did too. Duna just looked dumbfounded. Farkas chuckled and led her to an out of the way table.

"I... just... how?" Duna said in bewilderment as she sat down.

"I uh... I might have talked to one of the bards in Solitude while you were in the Embassy..." Farkas admitted with a smirk, "she asked me to tell her about the Dragonborn..."

"You said I was pretty as a midnight sky?" Duna looked at him with wide eyes.

"Somethin' like that," he smirked, reaching to take her hand again, "a beautiful woman with the heart of a warrior, and a voice that can knock a man off his feet."

"Y-you thought that much of me back then?" She asked in surprise.

Farkas chuckled, "I thought you were something else the first time I saw you shoot... been sweet on you since Bleakfalls Barrow," he admitted.

Duna blushed and looked down with a happy smile. But then a moment later her brow furrowed and she looked back up at him.

"Farkas... you... I mean," she trailed off and Farkas just waited attentively while she put together her thoughts... "Njada was way off base... right? I earned my way into the Companions... y-you didn't go easy on me... right?"

Farkas shook his head and squeezed her hand. "You earned your place," he replied firmly. "I started fallin' for you because you impressed me and proved yourself worthy, not the other way around," he explained with a smile. "The Companions are my family, I don't invite just anyone to join my family. You had to prove yourself just like all the whelps did." He gently squeezed her hand again and Duna smiled in relief.

"Sorry I had to ask," she said a little sheepishly, "thank you."

"No worries," Farkas chuckled, "besides, I wasn't the only one you had to convince, the whole Circle has to agree on new members... you even made Vilkas take you seriously," he smirked.

Duna smiled more at that and the tavern keeper brought them dinner. As they ate several other patrons around the inn asked the bard to sing the new song again. The bard ended up playing it at least twice more. Farkas found he quite liked it... he paid careful attention, making a point to commit the tune and words to memory... he was going to play and sing this one for the Companions... Then he thought back to the fascinated way Duna has watched him play the lute back in Morthal... maybe he'd play this one just for her some times too...

"I can't decide if I'm honored or embarrassed," Duna sighed quietly, after they'd heard the song for the third time.

Farkas chuckled, "I like it," he shrugged. Duna just blushed as they made their way to their room. Farkas heard a few of the patrons grumbling about bad dreams, but he didn’t pay them much attention as he followed Duna.

They both took a turn in the washroom and Farkas smiled at the familiarity of their routine as he walked back to their room now washed and ready for bed. As usual, Duna was sitting in bed, in that thin sleeping tunic of hers, writing in her journal... but there was only one bed... his heart began to race as he looked at her sitting in the large bed.

Duna looked up and smiled back at him as she put her journal down.

"So, will you keep your hands to yourself tonight?" She asked with a smirk.

Farkas was a little caught off guard... this was different... but she smelled happy... maybe even playful...

"Only if you want me to," he chuckled as he climbed into bed.

Duna smiled and turned to wrap her arms around his neck. Farkas slowly wrapped his arms around her waist and Duna smiled more. She leaned forward, and Farkas thought she was going to kiss him, but she paused just before their lips met...

"Just for the record," she whispered, "I don't mind you tickling me like you did this morning... but if you do, I will get you back..."

Farkas's heart jumped... she smelled confident... she was teasing him... he wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but gods this new side of her was sexy...

"That sounds like a challenge," Farkas chuckled before closing the distance and kissing her.

As Farkas kissed her he began to be certain that Duna smelled as aroused as he was...

With her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist... gods her scent was going to drive him properly crazy. Her hands ran up into his hair and she pulled him into a deeper kiss... Farkas's mind swam... she smelled of desire... that lovely enticing scent that Skjor had laughed at him for not understanding before... there was no way he could mistake it now...

He wasn't sure how he was going to keep himself under control sharing a bed if she was going to kiss him like this... he was honestly ready to resign himself to simply not... to give in and let her do whatever she pleased with him... her skin was so soft and smooth beneath his fingers... slowly turning to goosebumps under his touch...

"Farkas..." Duna gasped, breaking the kiss... Farkas began to kiss hungrily down the side of her neck and Duna gasped again... a quiet and arousing sound... he could feel her pulse racing beneath his tongue...

"Farkas..." she gasped breathlessly, "stop..."

That word hit him like a bucket of ice water. Farkas froze.

"Sorry," he panted as he pulled gently away from her and shifted back to his own side of the bed. He hadn't even realized he'd had his hand under her tunic... gods how had he done something so stupid?

Farkas mentally berated himself as they each took a minute to catch their breath. He'd crossed a line and lost her trust, he was sure of it... his heart clenched painfully at the thought of her shying away from him again... he was sure her next comment about keeping his hands to himself was not going to be a joke...

"Sorry," he said again, hardly daring to glance up at her beautiful flushed face. "I... I didn't mean to..."

"N-no, I'm sorry," Duna shook her head. Farkas looked up at her in surprise... he could still hear her heart racing... her lips were redder than normal and her face was a beautiful shade of pink... "Y-you didn't do anything wrong, I... I liked it, I just... I shouldn’t have started something I wasn’t ready for..." she blushed a bit darker, and Farkas's heart leapt as he looked back at her in confusion waiting for her to continue. "I guess I just... I got scared of how much I liked it... divines... sorry, I... I thought I was ready for that..." She put her head in her hands and shook her head. "After this morning... I... I thought... I mean... I wanted to do something for you... but I... I guess I panicked."

"Something for me?" Farkas raised an eyebrow in confusion but suddenly understood as Duna blushed more and glanced to his waistline... his wolf spirit was suddenly back to yelling at him in his mind... ‘_take her now, you can smell how much she actually wants it!’_

Farkas took a deep breath and tried to silence the pounding in his ears. He realized now that he wasn’t running on two nights without sleep the wolf spirit was right back to being just as insistent as usual. He shook his head and mentally told it to shut up.

"Duna," he said gently, "you don't need to do anything for me."

"You... you're sure?" She asked in a trembled whisper.

"I'm sure," he nodded, "you can do whatever you want to with me, whenever you feel ready to do it... I'm sorry I got carried away," he sighed, and then sadly he quietly added, "please don't stop trusting me..."

Duna took another deep breath, and Farkas was surprised when her gentle hand suddenly reached up to cup the side of his face.

"You don’t have anything to apologize for Farkas. I still trust you," she said softly. Farkas looked hopefully up into her eyes again. "Actually," she added with a sheepish smile, "the way you reacted just now when I said ‘stop’ makes me a lot more comfortable... I... I was afraid you wouldn't..."

Farkas sighed in relief. "You don't ever have to be afraid of that," he promised gently, "I love you. I never want to hurt you..." he paused and took a deep breath, "if I ever don't stop when you tell me to, please, shout me into Oblivion if you have to..."

Duna gave him a small smile at that and leaned back in to hug him. Farkas wrapped his arms around her again in surprise and relief as she tucked her head against the crook of his neck.

"I can’t imagine it ever coming to that, but thank you," she whispered, and her breath falling across his chest gave him goosebumps, "I love you, and I trust you."

Farkas could feel her smile and he kissed the top of her head with a smile of his own.

It took them both a fair amount of time to calm fully back down. Farkas was happy that it smelled like Duna's adrenaline and arousal took just as long to dissipate as his did. But they did finally settle down to sleep, cuddled together in the large bed. Unfortunately, Farkas didn't sleep near as well as he'd been hoping or expecting, but for once, Duna didn't either...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, yes, I attempted to add a verse to “The Dragonborn Comes,” ...forgive me...


	45. Discomforts

Farkas trembled in terror against the cold iron bars... his throat burned from the vile potion he'd just been forced to drink, and his only comfort had just been ripped away from him... he could still hear his brother crying out for him.

With a cackle, one of the men in black robes hoisted his cage up onto a chain hanging over a stone sacrificing table where Vilkas was being held down by two figures in black cloaks. Farkas yelled out in vain as the necromancers laughed and debated how to test their latest potion...

Vilkas struggled and screamed as one of the evil mages drew a jagged, black dagger... Farkas cried out in terror for his brother, but then again in pain as a deep cut split open on his own forehead where the mage dragged the knife down Vilkas's face and the mages all laughed with glee...

Farkas sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily and holding the scar above his eye... he'd preferred not remembering how he and his twin had ended up with twin scars... he was glad Jergen had slaughtered that whole den of necromancers... but why in Oblivion was he dreaming of that now?

Then Duna's soft hands were on his arm and he turned to see her looking up at him in concern.

"Sorry," he said with a tired, gruff sigh.

"You ok?" She whispered worriedly.

"Yeah," he nodded, "just a bad dream," he sighed and lay back down, "Sorry I woke you," he added tiredly.

"Y-you didn't," she shook her head, "I... I had a bad dream too..."

Farkas looked down at her in concerned surprise.

"Though it wasn't as bad it sounded like yours was..." she added quietly. Farkas sighed, pulled her against his chest and held her. He wasn't sure if it was to comfort her or him... honestly probably both...

"Just bad memories from when I was a whelp," he said quietly, trying to get the images out of his head. "What about you, you alright?"

"Yeah," Duna nodded, "I just dreamed I was back in Cyrodiil, still set to marry Aranman in the morning," she explained she sounded more disgusted than afraid. Then she snuggled against him and Farkas held her a little tighter.

They both managed to doze off again...

This time Farkas was back on the side of the mountain... he was paralyzed... the Thalmor had Duna, but instead of Erremus leading them, it was Aranman... and instead of dragging her back to Cyrodiil, he'd stripped her down and Farkas had been forced to watch, paralyzed and helpless, as he took her right there in the snow. She cried out in pain, begging Farkas to help her and all he could do was watch, straining to make his muscles move.

He woke with a start again and this time he just rolled over onto his side, wrapped both arms around Duna and buried his nose into her hair. She stirred slightly, but seemed to calm down and pulled his arms more tightly around her and pressed her back into his chest. She smelled like her usual self... wildflowers... honey... still a hint of smoke... she also smelled a little like him, and that made him smile as he dozed back off...

Farkas woke several more times in the night from the awful dreams... combinations of his worst memories and his worst fears. He woke just as frequently to Duna crying out in distress or fear... several times it was his name she cried, and Farkas knew she was reliving all the moments she'd nearly lost him... her brain was probably inventing new scenarios like his was too... at least sharing the large bed they could comfort each other quickly each time one of them woke.

Farkas was just in the middle of reliving Duna's trial in Dustman's Cairn, except there were a lot more Silver Hand, when he was woken again by Duna frantically calling his name. He sat up again and gently shook her awake.

"This town is cursed," Duna grumbled as she tried to relax again in his arms... it was still at least an hour before sunrise, but Farkas didn't want to risk going back to sleep again, he'd had enough.

"Let's just get going," he suggested, and Duna nodded tiredly.

They had an early breakfast and discovered several of the other patrons already up and complaining of bad dreams as well.

"Add this to the list of things we need to come back and investigate once the dragons are dealt with," Duna grumbled quietly.

Farkas nodded with an affirmative grunt as they set out from the inn... only to discover that it was still snowing. Farkas knew the horses would be fine in the snow, but he was a little worried about Duna riding in the freezing wind. The smell on the air told him whole northern road would likely be entirely in this blizzard.

Duna shivered into her cloak and glared out at the blowing snow. Farkas noticed she smelled grumpy.

"Fuck this," she grumbled, "I am not staying here another night, and I am not freezing the whole ride to Winterhold..."

Then, to Farkas's surprise, she stepped out into the street, stared up into the blizzard, and...

"LOK VAH KOOR!" Her shout thundered into the sky. At first nothing happened, but then the snow began to slacken... then to stop... a few minutes later the clouds cleared from the sky.

Farkas looked around in amazement... he could smell the storm dissipating entirely and the sky was just beginning to get light near the horizon.

"There," Duna grumbled turning back toward the stables to retrieve their horses. Farkas just looked at Duna in awe... sometimes when she was cuddled up in his arms or huddling into him for warmth or comfort, it was easy to forget just how powerful she was...

As they rode along the snow covered road in the now clear morning weather, Farkas thought back over the last few nights... what was the difference between their current situation and an official engagement? Honestly... probably nothing... they could take as long as she wanted to get back to Riften...

Farkas looked up at Duna riding Dapple on the road in front of him. He was beyond ready to be bound to her forever...

Farkas reached carefully into his enchanted pack, and carefully pulled his amulet out. He slipped it over his head and tucked it under his armor. He'd talk to her about it when the time felt right, he decided.

They made it to Winterhold in time to have lunch at the Frozen Hearth before heading up to the college.

Farkas had never been to the college, and he still wasn't particularly comfortable with the idea. Duna was the first magic user he'd ever been comfortable with... the rest of them tended to be violent and cause all kinds of trouble... he frequently got jobs for the Companions to go eliminate rouge wizards. The whole idea of the Mages College had made him uncomfortable for years. From everything he'd heard it was a place anyone with ability could learn whatever magic they wanted, and he suspected that that accounted for a lot of the necromancers in Skyrim. Especially after the first nightmare he'd had last night, he was considerably uncomfortable with even going near the college. He didn't trust them in the slightest.

The conversation they overheard at the Frozen Hearth about the state of some wizard's room did very little to improve Farkas's opinion of the place...

"You ok?" Duna's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts as they walked down the deserted main street of Winterhold.

"Yeah," he sighed, "just don't like mages... one of my nightmares last night was memories of when me and Vilkas were tortured by mages. The college makes me uncomfortable."

Duna reached down and took his hand. "I'm assuming waiting out here won't make you feel better," she said sympathetically. Farkas tightened his grip on her hand.

"No," he replied firmly.

"Don't worry," Duna squeezed his hand back gently in return, "it wasn't really a suggestion, I was just making sure. Let's just get in there and back out quickly."

"Alright then," Farkas sighed.

Even as unhappy as he was about being there, Farkas couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the college... a massive, towering building, standing on a single stone spire that rose out of the sea... Farkas was pretty sure the stone bridge connecting it to the mainland was only held up by magic. The whole thing looked like it should have crumbled into the sea with the rest of Winterhold's collapse... it was both amazing and made him more uncomfortable at the same time.

There was an Altmer woman with red hair that was pulled back in pigtails, wearing a set of black robes with faded red patterns... it wasn't the same robes Farkas's captors had worn, but similar enough to make him even more mistrustful.

"Cross the bridge at your own peril!" The woman called out without a greeting, "the way is dangerous, and the gate will not open. You shall not gain entry!"

"Oh great," Duna grumbled under her breath, then, to the Altmer, "and who in Oblivion are you?"

"I am Faralda, one of the senior Wizards here," she replied suddenly a little more pleasant, "I am here to assist those seeking the wisdom of the College."

"Yeah, you're real welcoming," Duna grumbled.

"And if, in the process, my presence helps to deter those who might seek to do harm, so be it," the mage continued with an air of arrogance. "The more important question is: why are you here?"

"I'm the Dragonborn and I need information on the Elder Scrolls," Duna replied bluntly.

Farkas chuckled quietly at the surprise on the woman's face. She tried to maintain her composure, replying something about "the college has what you seek," but then asked if Duna could prove she had the Voice. Farkas could tell she was just curious to see a dragon shout.

Duna showed off her fire shout, melting a large patch of snow on the ground in front of the bridge. The mage seemed thoroughly impressed by that and agreed to guide them across the bridge.

Now, Farkas wasn't afraid of heights... but there's a very big difference between being afraid of heights and being afraid of walking out onto a half-collapsed icy stone bridge that hung over a several hundred foot drop to the rocky, icy shores below. The only thing he liked less than having to cross that bridge, was that Duna did too... but amazingly, the bridge stayed up.

Farkas certainly never imagined he'd set foot inside the college... he was fascinated in spite of himself. The air inside was... eerily comfortable... everything about the place appeared that it should have been cold inside... there was a open courtyard filled with snow blowing around a statue of a mage in billowing robes... but the air was warm. He could also smell the magic in the air... it was more magic than he'd ever smelled in once place. If he tried to focus on it, it was overwhelming so he tried to ignore it instead.

Another mage directed Duna to what essentially amounted to the library... Farkas was surprised to find an orc tending a library... an orc in mages robes was definitely a rather bizarre sight. Farkas was afraid the orc would give them trouble, but after threatening to have them torn apart by atronachs, he was surprisingly helpful once Duna told him what she was looking for and why...

While Duna looked through the books the orc brought her and then asked a few questions, Farkas looked around the shelves of books... he wished Vilkas was here... most of it looked just like stuff about magic stuff, but he wondered if there'd be anything here about werewolves... if these mages welcomed Duna in just for being Dragonborn, this might be somewhere they could come back later to look for information. He wandered briefly down an aisle of shelves, looking curiously at the books, but then a Bosmer mage gave him a dirty look and he wandered back toward Duna.

To Farkas's relief, she was ready to go not long afterwards and they were heading back out of the college barely more than half an hour after they'd entered.

When they got back to the bridge Duna paused and looked uncomfortably over the edge... Farkas had the sudden urge to reach out and hold onto her... he normally trusted her to have good enough balance, but seeing her so close to the edge standing on ice made him nervous.

"It's a shame really," she mumbled, still looking over the edge as Farkas took a firm hold of her hand, "all these dragon souls trapped inside me... and I can't fly..."

Farkas cocked his head in confused concern. "Do they bother you? The dragon souls I mean?"

"Not usually," she sighed finally looking back up at him, "I usually don't notice them beyond the power they give me... but some times... thoughts pop in my head like, 'if I just had wings, I could fly like I'm supposed to,' and suddenly I miss something I've never done."

"I know what things like that are like," Farkas nodded understandingly, "not flying or anything like that, but the random thoughts that aren't your own."

"What does yours tell you?" Duna asked with a sympathetic but curious smile.

"Mostly wants me to get up and go hunt," Farkas shrugged, "but it likes staying close to you... it's nice to have something we finally agree on," he added with a gentle smile. He contemplated really admitting how much his wolf spirit wanted her... but that would probably just be more stress and pressure on her.

"I'm glad ," Duna smiled. She looked like she was about to say more, but then shivered as the wind blew.

"Let's go," Farkas suggested gently. He didn't like Duna standing so close to that edge.

"Ok, but I think I can see the outpost Urag said we should go to from here..." she was looking up now and Farkas looked out where she was pointing...

Duna stepped back into the entry way of the college and pulled out her map, showing Farkas where the orc had marked on her map.

"That's out in the ice..." Farkas observed looking back out from the bridge.

"You think we can make it out there and back before dark?" Duna asked giving his hand a hopeful squeeze.

Farkas looked up at the sun's position in the sky, and then back out toward the ice fields... they a few hours of daylight left...

"Probably," he nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the Mages College isn’t that bad, that’s just what Farkas thinks of it. I have yet to do much of anything with the college on this playthrough.


	46. Surprises on the Ice

There was not much of a road between the college and the point on the map that the orc had marked, so they left their horses at the stable and set out on foot. It was about a two hour hike around a mountain before they reached the ice fields... the sea really, but it was frozen solid enough that some crazy scholar had apparently set up camp out there.

As they looked out at the little mound of ice that was supposedly the scholar's outpost, Farkas questioned how anyone could be living out here. The only way out there appeared to be crossing the floating ice...

Farkas didn't have a problem hiking across the ice fields... when it was all solid ice. He had good balance and was sure footed for someone as big as he was, but when they reached the areas where the ice got thinner and occasionally broke off in chunks, all the balance in the world wouldn't save him if he stepped somewhere too thin to hold his weight.

Duna was small and nimble and was able to hop across the floating chunks before skidding across the last patch to the outpost. Farkas had several close calls, and got splashed with the icy salt water more than once, but he managed to make it...

The outpost, as the orc at the college had called it, was what seemed to be a Dwemer artifact frozen in the glacier, and the ice cave that had by one way or another, formed around it. They found the mage the orc had sent them to find easily enough, but getting answers out of him was another matter altogether.

Farkas couldn't make sense of most of what the mage said, so he took to his usual business of letting Duna do the talking and focused his attention on looking around and smelling and listening for signs of trouble.

Farkas shortly decided he didn't like the crazy old man... at first glance he'd thought he was simply like Esbern, a bit eccentric and old, now gone senile from years of being alone... but the way this guy rambled and laughed and spoke in third person made Esbern look normal.

Farkas also didn't like the Dwemer contraption he seemed so fascinated with (Vilkas had told him Dwemer ruins were haunted or something), and he really didn't like the fact the crazy man was trying to open the contraption, he didn't trust the smell of whatever was inside...

...and then he said something about Blackreach... Farkas tried to remember where he'd heard of Blackreach before... the crazy man did at least tell her where to find it...

Something about the whole situation made his wolf spirit uneasy.

He was relieved when Duna had gotten the information they needed and they were able to set back off.

They were barely passed the particularly unstable floating chunks of the ice fields, still not where Farkas was comfortable to be walking, when they heard a sound that almost made Farkas sick... the not distant roar of a dragon.

"Divines, you got to be kidding me!" Duna complained as she summoned her bow. Farkas swore under his breath as well and pulled out his mace and staff... this was not where he wanted to be fighting a dragon. He was on a large, floating chunk of ice... fortunately large enough that he wasn't likely to break through, but it rocked with every step he took, and he could feel how easy it would be for it to completely dump him into the water. Unfortunately he didn't have time to get to a more stable footing before the dragon was on them.

The glowing, dark purple arrows flew from Duna's bow, Farkas threw fireballs from his staff, and the dragon retaliated with ice. Farkas was relieved it wasn't fire because he couldn't do much dodging. The flashy fireballs got the dragon's attention and after a few passes it's attention was all on Farkas. The dragon's icy breath hit like needles... he was actually feeling the cold... sharp pains that made him feel slow and sluggish as he tried to simply keep firing and outlast the dragon.

The dragon's breath thickened the layer of ice enough that Farkas was pretty sure he could safely get off the floating parts, but his legs were too numb by then to move quickly anyway.

He could hear Duna shouting fire at it as well but getting trapped in the buildup of ice he couldn't keep track of where she was. Then, suddenly, one of Duna's arrows struck it in the eye and it plummeted from the sky.

Farkas was relieved... for a moment... and then the dragon crashed into the ice nearly right on top of him. In its death throws it smashed straight through, and Farkas was tossed into the icy water right along with it.

Farkas managed to gasp a breath of mostly air in the split seconds before he went under.

This was freezing by a Nord's standards. The cold pressed in like knives from all sides and for several moments everything was dark as he thrashed about trying to see which way was up. The salty water burned his eyes and stung with cold and his lungs felt like fire from the small amount of water he'd already taken in. His body wanted to cough, but he knew that would be death... he could also feel himself starting to panic, but that would certainly be death too.

He was starting to think this was actually the end for him, but then the dragon soul rose from the depths, no doubt flying to Duna. It lit up his surroundings briefly, but long enough for Farkas to right himself and start swimming upward. He followed the path the dragon soul had taken only to find that that led him to a thick layer of ice. He pounded at it once with his mace before remembering the staff... the fireball underwater was much less effective than Farkas was hoping for... his lungs ached for air... he was out of time and out of strength... what a pitiful way to go...

But before he could completely give up he heard a distant and muffled, "YOL TOOR!" And the ice above him lit up with an intense heat. The thin layer left behind was easy to smash and the next thing Farkas knew he was being hauled up into the freezing air, with the golden light of a healing spell swirling around him. Duna was only able to drag him half out of the water, but even that was impressive honestly.

Farkas coughed and choked for several more moments, but Duna's spell gave him the strength to climb the rest of the way out of the water.

"Oh thank all the divines, you're alive," Duna sighed, panting for breath.

Farkas didn't reply, still trying to catch his breath... why was his whole body shaking? He wasn't drowning anymore, but he was soaked through... that wind was too cold for even a Nord... wait... cold... that was it, he was soaking wet and shivering... he was _freezing_...

Duna was saying something about needing to get him dried off, but he couldn't hear her that well over the sound of his own teeth chattering... she also said something about his mace and staff but needing to get off of the ice...

Farkas just nodded numbly as, slipping and cursing she tried to support him as they stumbled back to shore and into the snow.

The snow wasn't as bad as the ice... at least it was soft... he could just lie down and sleep in the snow... which honestly sounded like a lovely idea, but Duna wouldn't let him. She dragged him over to a large rock and Farkas was startled when she used her fire shout to clear the snow and ice.

"Alright... alright..." Duna was saying nervously as she made him sit on the now warm rock, "stay with me Farkas... I... I think I have an idea that might work..."

He was still shivering too much to make much sense of what she was talking about... but then he felt an almost burning warmth from her hand as she began to move it across his hands... then each arm... her other hand cast the healing spell again and Farkas slowly came back to his senses...

Farkas blinked. Steam was billowing up from his armor and clothes... Duna was concentrating very hard on a flame spell in her left hand, using the tiny controlled fire to dry and warm him.

"Thank you," he smiled. Duna's eyes darted to his for a brief moment and she gave him a small smile before she looked quickly back to her hands and her brow furrowed in concentration again.

"Don't distract me," she smirked, "I don't want to warm you too fast or set you on fire."

Farkas gave a slight chuckle in understanding and then kept quiet while she worked. He pulled his boots off and poured out the water, and then sat back trying not to laugh as Duna dried his ticklish feet.

It took several minutes, and his armor had to be taken off to dry him underneath, but she did finally get him dried off and comfortable enough. It occurred to Farkas how lucky it was that he had the dragon scale armor now and not the steel he'd been wearing... he wasn't sure he would have lasted long enough trying to swim in steel...

Finally, Duna finished drying his bearskin cloak and she slumped against him in exhaustion. Farkas wrapped his arms around her and held her gently.

"You ok?" He asked in concern.

"Yeah," Duna sighed, "that just took a lot of magic... you scared me," she added looking up at him with a scolding smile.

"Sorry," he chuckled. Then he saw Duna's eyes travel down to his chest. She looked confused for a moment, then she blinked in surprise and Farkas heard her pulse pick up... his own heart jumped as he followed her gaze to see the amulet of Mara was still around his neck.

"F-Farkas?" She whispered, nervously bringing a hand up to touch the amulet, "is this...?"

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, desperately hoping she wasn't about to panic, "I've had it for a while now, I'm just ready whenever you are." He could hear her heart racing. She blinked a few times looking from the amulet and back up into his eyes.

"S-so are... are you... going to be officially proposing t-to me?"

Farkas swallowed and took a deep breath... he hadn't had much of a plan, but 'official' was what he wanted... she sounded nervous, but not panicking... 'here goes,'he thought...

"I am," he nodded firmly... he heard her heart jump and he continued watching her expression hopefully...

She smiled and Farkas thought his heart might beat out of his chest... then her smile shifted into a smirk...

"Are you going to actually ask me anything?" She asked with a hint of a giggle.

Farkas blinked, cocking his head at her in confusion... he thought the amulet of Mara was supposed to get that point across...

"Uh..." but he guessed 'official' meant he had to ask the obvious question... "Duna..." he held her firmly with one arm and brought his other hand up to brush a few strands of hair out of her face, "my little rabbit..." he smiled, trying to think exactly how he should ask... he wished he'd thought this out ahead of time...

He'd never been one for particularly flowery language, and he didn't want to sound demanding like Ulfric had... simple and blunt had always been his way, he decided...

"Will you marry me?" He asked in a low, gentle voice, with a hopeful smile.

Duna's heart was racing, she sounded nervous, nearly frantic, but she looked up at him with a small smile and took a deep breath... "I..." she sounded like her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment Farkas was afraid she wasn't going to answer, but then she took a shaky breath and nodded. "I will," she breathed in a soft whisper.

Farkas was so happy and surprised, for a moment he wasn't sure he could breath. He wrapped his other arm around her, lifted her into a hug, jumped off the rock, and spun her around. Duna let out a choked giggle and hung on with her arms around his neck. Then Farkas's feet got caught in the snow, and he toppled onto his back. Duna landed on top of him, still giggling, and Farkas just laughed. To his surprise, instead of getting up, she kept her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Farkas caught his breath and then pulled her closer to kiss her properly.

When they finally separated from that Duna sat up, smiling down at him with her knees straddling his stomach. Farkas had to suddenly try very hard to not imagine her in that position without their armor on...

"So... what now?" She asked... her tone of voice and the blush across her cheeks reminded Farkas of the first night he'd kissed her.

"Whatever you want," Farkas grinned, "we can go to Riften whenever you're ready... and we can wait as long as you want to get more physical, I just want to swear myself to you."

Duna nodded, nervously catching her breath for a moment, "a-alright," she nodded, "I... I think.... we can do that before we go searching for Blackreach..."

Farkas's heart jumped and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"The... I mean... the wedding... at least..." she clarified with her cheeks flushing a bit darker.

Farkas still grinned, "sounds good to me."

"Really?" Duna looked back to his face in surprise.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded. "I said the rest can still wait till you're ready. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

He listened to Duna's heart rate slowly calming down as she seemed to process his words... he could see in her face that she was still afraid of that next step.

Farkas thought back to the damn Thalmor who had made her so afraid of her own wedding night... trying to wrap his mind around what she was so afraid of... trying to think how he might calm her fears...

Then he noticed her shiver and sat up, gently wrapping his arms around her. He rested his chin on top of her head as she huddled against him comfortably. It was strange how she could seem so comfortable and so afraid at the same time. Farkas sighed. He really hated that damn elf...

"I'm not one of those bastards that just wants your body," he said quietly a few moments later.

"I-I know that," Duna whispered sounding a little sheepish.

"I don't want to _take_ you," he said in a gentle voice, "I want you to give yourself to me... I want you to be happy to do it... I want you to want me as much as I want you..." Farkas took a deep breath, his wolf spirit was considerably angry about what he was about to say, but he continued anyway, "so... until you do, I can wait."

Duna pulled back to look up at him with a slightly surprised, appreciative smile. Then she reached up with both hands, gently cupping his face in both hands for a moment before sweeping several strands of hair out of his face. She looked into his eyes with an adoring expression that made Farkas's heart begin to race.

"Divines, how did I get so lucky?" She breathed, and then she pulled him back to her for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter and the timing of these events was entirely inspired by the way things actually went down in my game, which was also a large part of the overall inspiration for this story.  
We were leaving Septimus Signus, and a dragon attacked. Farkas glitched or something and got stuck in the ice with the dragon just blasting away in his face (thank God I hadn’t completed the Companions quest line yet because that means he’s still ‘essential’). I killed the dragon and collect the bones and all, and Farkas is off swimming through the ice.  
Anyway, he finally got back to me and I went to give him a few things because I was over encumbered with the dragon bones... just giving him several things quickly I accidentally gave him the amulet of Mara, and he put it on... I didn’t realize you could marry him without completing the Companions quest line... so I freaked out a little, took it back and put it on. Sure enough, marriage dialogue! I thought it was adorable. :)


	47. Back to Riften

They definitely spent more time kissing in the snow than they should have. When they finally got up to get moving Farkas realized with considerable disappointment, that he'd dropped his mace in the water. He'd dropped the staff too, but it floated and Duna had been able to retrieve it. That was what she'd been saying earlier that he was too numb to hear.

As they began hiking back toward Winterhold Farkas remembered that Duna had gotten him that mace... it was just an elven mace, but she'd thought of him and bothered to bring it back from the embassy for him... he felt awful to have lost it.

"Sorry I lost the mace you got me," Farkas sighed gloomily as they hiked through the snow.

"I'm just glad you didn't drown," Duna shook her head, she didn't seem upset at all, "we can get you another mace... I'll _make_ you another mace..." Duna smiled and playfully hugged his bicep, "it can be a wedding present," she grinned, "I'll make you a _better_ mace!"

Farkas chuckled. That thought certainly chased away his gloom. He snaked his arm around her waist, forcing her hold on him to shift up to his shoulder, and lifted her easily into his arms.

"Won't say no to that," he grinned, giving her tight hug. He wanted to tell her the only wedding present he wanted was her, but he'd literally just told her that could wait. "When do you want to go to Riften?" He asked with a smile instead.

"In the morning," Duna smiled and gave him another quick kiss. Then she turned and Farkascouldn't help but grin as he let her hop out of his grasp. As she landed back on her feet she took his hand, "tonight all I want is a warm inn and a bed, in a city that's not cursed," she smiled and pulled him to a faster pace along the trail.

Despite Duna's hurry, it was dark by the time they made it back to the Frozen Hearth, and Farkas had realized they hadn't managed to get him quite as dry as they thought. It was a good thing werewolves didn't get sick...

They got changed and properly dried off and then made their way out to the main room for dinner.

Having dry clothes and a hot stew with Duna beside him holding his hand under the table was the best Farkas had felt in a long time. They ate in tired but comfortable silence, and Farkas couldn't stop smiling as Duna leaned comfortably against him.

His mind began to wander back over Duna's words from earlier... a wedding present... she was always getting or making him things... he should get her a wedding present too he decided... but what? He could make her something... but she already had the best armor... she conjured her bow and hardly even used a sword anymore... he didn't want to get her something she wouldn't need or want...

Farkas decided he'd have to think of something when he was less tired. He still couldn't believe they'd be leaving for Riften in the morning.

After the how little sleep they'd both gotten the night before, followed by such a tiring day, Farkas had no problems simply curling up with Duna in his arms and sleeping.

The next morning, Farkas was partly afraid she was going to change her mind after the adrenaline from his near drowning wore off... but she eagerly pulled out her map as they ate breakfast, and began searching for the best route to Riften. Farkas pulled out some paper and charcoal to write a letter to Vilkas.

"Can you ask him to bring Lydia with him?" Duna smiled, looking up from the map.

"Yeah," Farkas smiled too, "he probably would anyway though."

"I know, I just want to make sure she knows I want her to be there," Duna smiled, then with a giggle she added, "she told me about her... um... midnight grappling match with Vilkas..."

Farkas couldn't believe he'd forgotten to talk to Duna about that...

"What'd she say about it?" He smirked curiously.

"Oh she came back to the room nearly giddy, telling me about how he wanted to grapple and then ended up kissing her," Duna smiled, "I'm guessing Vilkas told you?"

"Yeah," Farkas grinned, he was glad it sounded like Lydia was as happy as Vilkas had been, "he came back to my room and I could tell he hadn't just been sparing," he added with a chuckle.

"She turned so red in the face when I pointed out the marks he left on her neck," Duna laughed.

"He left marks on her neck?" Farkas asked in surprise, "he told me he only kissed her!"

"Yeah, only kissed all over her apparently," Duna smirked.

"Oh I'm gonna give him such a hard time about that when we see him," Farkas shook his head with a grin.

"Speaking of," Duna said, turning back to the map, "I think if we stay the night in Kynesgrove we can make it to Riften in two days..."

Farkas looked at the route she was tracing on the map... it looked good to him...

"So we get married in three days, yeah?" He looked up at her hopefully and to his relief she smiled... but her pulse picked up and she definitely smelled a little nervous.

"I... I guess," she nodded, "it doesn't take longer than that to set up for a wedding?"

"Not as far as I know," Farkas shook his head, "pretty sure all we have to do is go to the temple of Mara."

"Th-then I guess we get m-married in three days..." Duna nodded.

Farkas reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she smiled at him. At least he could tell she was more happy than afraid...

They finished breakfast, discussing the differences between normal Nord weddings and the fiasco Duna had been expected to endure in Cyrodiil. Duna was much more comfortable with the idea of a Nord wedding than the weddings she'd been expecting. Most Nord weddings were short, simple ceremonies, sometimes they didn't even bother inviting guests. Vilkas and Lydia were really the only guests Farkas specifically wanted.

He wished Kodlak felt up for making the trip, but he knew the Harbinger hardly got out much anymore. They would just have to go back to Jorrvaskr to see him so Farkas could tell him he'd taken his advice.

Farkas decided he'd pass Kodlak's amulet of Mara on to Vilkas. Hopefully he and Duna would get the chance to come back and see his brother get married one day too. Even if Kodlak didn't get to see it, Farkas knew that would make him happy.

Farkas could hardly contain his excitement as they rode back toward Riften. They stopped in Kynesgrove for the night, and to Farkas's delight, nothing changed about their typical evening routine. In fact, Duna seemed even more eager than usual to snuggle up in his arms once she closed her journal and they got into bed. Not wanting to risk making her uncomfortable, Farkas didn't push his luck when he kissed her goodnight. The night was peaceful, and they set out early the next morning.

Farkas distinctly noticed Duna was smiling most of the day, and he'd never been happier to smell the stagnant, fishy water of Riften as they stabled their horses that evening. They got to the temple in time to make arrangements for the next day.

"That's really it?" Duna asked in surprise as they left the temple and headed for the Bee and Barb, "it's that simple to plan a wedding?"

"Told ya," Farkas chuckled. Then he noticed her heart was going at a nervous pace again, "you still ok?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm great," Duna laughed, "I don't have to shoot any flaming arrows or get some hundred year old dress tailored to fit me..." she smiled.

"Nope," Farkas grinned, "just show up with me in the morning, all we need is us and the priest."

"Do I have to wear anything special?" She asked thoughtfully.

"Only if you want to," Farkas shrugged.

Duna cocked an eyebrow at him thoughtfully and stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks as she looked up at him with a smirk. "What do _you_ want me to wear?"

"Uh..." Farkas blinked... he didn't exactly have a preference... she was beautiful in everything she wore...

But then his wolf spirit began to flood his mind with thoughts of ripping those dragon scales off of her... that armor that reminded him what a legendary warrior she was... that armor that she'd made herself, so it fit her perfectly, hugged her curves just right while still making her look like a force to be reckoned with in battle...

"Won't lie," he smirked, "you're beautiful no matter what you wear, but do I think you look sexy in that armor you're wearin' now," he admitted in a low tone.

Duna's eyes went wide. "I... you think... really?" She stammered, her cheeks turned pink, and Farkas noticed with considerable satisfaction, that he caught just a hint of her sweet aroused scent...

"You don't have to wear a dress or makeup like one of those little, flimsy noble women or barmaids. That's not what you are... that's not what I want..." he smiled, "you're a beautiful warrior... strong and tough... you're my shield-sister, and my best friend... I don't want you to change because you're becoming my wife..."

Duna just blinked at him in surprise for a moment with a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Besides that, I don't like the smell of makeup," he added with an almost sheepish smirk, "I like that you don’t need it..."

"Alright then," she giggled, "I'll just clean up my dragon scales... and you'd better wear your dragon scales tomorrow too." She smirked almost challengingly up at him and Farkas chuckled.

"Wasn't plannin' anything else," he grinned.

Duna just nodded and smiled at that before taking his hand again and they continued back to the Bee and Barb to get a room and some food.

They were about half way into dinner when the tavern doors opened and a familiar scent caught Farkas's attention. Vilkas walked in, with Lydia behind him. He scanned the room and spotted them quickly, heading toward them with a grin on his face. Farkas stood to greet him and Vilkas clapped him on the shoulder with a warm smile. Farkas returned the favor, but suddenly noticed Vilkas's smile seemed a little strained. Farkas raised his eyebrow subtly and Vilkas's expression darkened a little, but he shook his head subtly as they all sat back down.

"How are things at home?" Farkas asked casually once Vilkas and Lydia had gotten their food.

"As well as usual," Vilkas shrugged, "lately I've been holding up in Jorrvaskr, helping Kodlak with his research... nothing of note yet."

"He's nearly turned into a recluse this last week," Lydia complained with a slightly annoyed but understanding smile, "Ria and I have been hunting on our own."

"You two are getting along well enough for that?" Duna asked in surprise.

"For the most part," Lydia shrugged, "Njada's the one with the problem. Ria only got into that fight to help Torvar, she apologized for that after you two left."

Duna smirked and looked from Lydia to Farkas, "so that theory we had about her being sweet on Torvar..."

"She still won't admit it, but I'd put money down at this point," Lydia smirked as well.

Farkas noticed the soft smile on Vilkas's face as Lydia spoke... that was a rare sight. It made Farkas smile... and reminded him that he needed to hassle his brother...

They enjoyed the rest of dinner, and Duna and Farkas filled them in on what they'd been doing for the last week. Lydia told them about her most recent job to kill a troll, and Vilkas told them about the general lineage of the Harbingers he'd been reading through.

Then, to Farkas's mild irritation, when they finished eating, Vilkas insisted that Farkas couldn't share a bed with his bride the night before their wedding; it just wasn't proper.

So Duna and Lydia were off to share a room, and Vilkas got a room for the two of them.

Duna giggled a little at Farkas's frustration, and as she hugged him goodnight she leaned in to whisper in his ear,

"Don't worry, you'll have me tomorrow night."

Farkas's eyes went wide and his heart skipped at that. He desperately hoped she meant what he thought she did... she probably just meant to hold her and sleep... but the tone of her voice had him hoping... She giggled a little more and kissed him before she and Lydia headed off to the washroom.

Back in the room he now had to share with Vilkas, Farkas flopped back on one of the beds with a grumpy sigh.

"You know this means I won't be able to sleep," he complained.

"You still have trouble with that?" Vilkas raised his eyebrow sympathetically.

"Yeah," Farkas grumbled. He was so tired of the beast blood... "you found anythin' at all yet?"

"As I said, nothing too useful... not for our cure at least, but..." Vilkas shook his head and Farkas noticed that uncomfortable dark expression he'd had when he first joined them that evening.

Farkas cocked his eyebrow in concern, "what?"

"I did find something I'm afraid you should know..." Vilkas began hesitantly.

Farkas just sat up and regarded his brother with an attentive expression, and Vilkas sighed.

"I'm not trying to talk you out of marrying Duna," he added, making Farkas furrow his brows in more concern, "I know the gods themselves couldn't do that."

"Damn right they can't," Farkas grumbled.

Vilkas sighed again. "That prophesy you said Ulfric Stormcloak mentioned..." he began, "it apparently wasn't made when Ulfric became Jarl, but much earlier... the priestess he mentioned must have been reminding them of it..."

"What about it?" Farkas interrupted grumpily. He wasn't sure he liked where his brother was going with this...

"I found the record of it," Vilkas explained, "it specifically says the _bloodlines_ of both Talos and Ysgramor..."

"So the prophesy doesn't mean us," Farkas shrugged.

"It at least doesn't mean you," Vilkas nodded, and Farkas growled at that implication. "I just want you to be aware," Vilkas continued, "the prophesy said the Aldmeri Dominion will fall when the bloodlines of both Talos and Ysgramor come together, and—"

"If it doesn't mean me, it doesn't mean her," Farkas interrupted angrily. "The gods are already draggin' her through enough destiny stuff, they can find another heir of Talos for this one."

Vilkas sighed, "again brother, I wasn't suggesting you shouldn't marry her, I... I just want you to be careful..."

"I won't let anyone touch her," Farkas growled.

"She's not the one I'm worried about," Vilkas grumbled. Farkas chuckled at that and Vilkas raised an eyebrow at him. "Damn it brother, I'm serious," Vilkas growled, "I don't want defying the gods to be the death of you!"

"Duna won't let anything happen to me either," Farkas shook his head confidently, "she'll have my back and I'll have hers."

Vilkas just shook his head, still looking worried.

Then a thought occurred to Farkas and his heart might have stopped... he couldn't stand it if Duna got scared to marry him again because of this... "is Lydia telling Duna the same thing right now?"

"I haven't told Lydia about this," Vilkas shook his head and Farkas sighed in relief. "You should probably tell Duna though," Vilkas added seriously.

"She knows about it," Farkas shrugged, "she didn't know I was hoping being a Companion would count, so nothin' changes. The gods can get another heir of Talos."

"Alright brother," Vilkas sighed, "alright... but if you get killed before we find the cure, and I have to come find you in the Hunting Ground instead of Sovengarde... I swear I will beat you into Oblivion."

"I won't, I won’t," Farkas shook his head with another chuckle. He still couldn't shake the feeling that the gods were on their side; not against him. "Now, stop talkin' so gloomy, I'm getting married tomorrow!" Farkas clapped Vilkas on the shoulder and Vilkas rolled his eyes and let out a reluctant chuckle. "How're things with Lydia?" Farkas added with a smirk.

Vilkas sighed again, but this time a small smirk tugged at his lips. "I wish I had more time to spend with her, she makes my beast blood calm..."

"Been doin' any more grappling?" Farkas teased.

"No," Vilkas chuckled, "have managed to steal a few more kisses though," he smirked.

"On her lips or her neck?" Farkas chuckled.

"How's all that going with Duna?" Vilkas asked, obviously and abruptly changing the subject and turning a little red in the face.

Farkas burst out laughing and punched Vilkas in the arm. "She told me about the marks Lydia had after you 'only kissed' her."

Vilkas groaned and ran a hand across his face. "I didn't realize I'd been that rough with her," he sighed after a moment, "she didn't complain though..." he added with another smirk.

The brothers sat and talked late into the night. Farkas told Vilkas about how well he rested with Duna in his arms, and how he'd basically concluded that being in love was the binding factor in his wolf spirit's mind, not the physical act of mating. Vilkas was a little surprised by that but thought Farkas's reasoning was sound enough.

Then Farkas explained how he'd finally ended up proposing before he eventually gave Vilkas Kodlak's amulet of Mara. Vilkas was slightly embarrassed, but accepted the amulet with a smirk plastered across his face.

Then they settled down to attempt to get a few hours of sleep, but Farkas's wolf spirit only grew more and more restless... he still hadn't thought of anything he could make her for a wedding present...

Grumpily he got up and began rummaging through his gear pack for ideas. Toward the bottom his hand touched a piece of dragon bone that he hadn't realized he was carrying... they must have missed it in his pack when he'd helped her carry several of the bones and scales back to Eorland...

Farkas grinned as he got an idea, and then hurried to get to work.


	48. Her Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, this event turned into a full two chapters instead of one... enjoy!

The priest at the temple only seemed a little irritated at being woken up at midnight... to Farkas's excitement, the priest assured him that he should be able to enchant any pair of rings with Mara's blessing, as long as he had enough time. Farkas had promised to be back with the rings before dawn and eagerly set to work.

Dragon bone was an interesting material to work with... it looked like ivory, but with a hot enough forge it could be worked almost like a metal, and it was stronger by far than either...

It took him the next several hours, and two trips back to Balimund's forge, but Farkas was pleased with the results by the time the sky began to get light... he'd forged and carved the piece of dragon bone down into two rings that were an otherwise match to the traditional gold Nordic wedding bands that were usually given by the temple... he'd thought about making them into a more intricate or elaborate design, but he wanted it to be obvious to any who saw them that they were wedding bands, and not just some random accessory.

He tried his on for at least the hundredth time to make sure it fit... he liked the way it looked alongside the dragon scale armor... he hoped Duna would like them too...

Duna's ring he had fit to the first digit of his pinky finger... he'd held her hand enough, and he was pretty good with details of that sort, so he had a decent idea that that should be the right size for her tiny hands...

The priest marveled at his work when he returned with the dragon bone rings and promised to have them enchanted in time for the wedding.

With an excited grin on his face, Farkas made his way back to the inn. He made for the washroom and got dressed and ready quickly... then, before he could go to wake Duna, Vilkas got up and dragged him back to the washroom. Farkas grumbled as Vilkas made him put more care into washing his hair and face, and then made him actually shave properly.

"You're getting married, you can put the extra attention into your appearance for the day," Vilkas scolded after Farkas's hundredth or so complaint. "Thought you said she was worth it," Vilkas added with a snide smirk.

"She is," Farkas growled. With that, he took another deep breath and focused on making his wolf spirit shut up again, only to find he was also just as eager.

Once he was finally clean, Vilkas helped him reapply his warpaint just right, and then clean the salt and grime from his dragon scale armor. "I'm payin' you back for this when you get married," Farkas grumbled as the morning wore on.

"I'd expect nothing less," Vilkas chuckled. Farkas sighed grumpily. They'd be lucky to get married by lunch at this rate. Finally, he was ready to go and they set off to find their women.

...but they found the room Duna and Lydia had stayed in empty...

Confused, and starting to get anxious, Farkas made his way downstairs, with a similarly perplexed Vilkas on his heals. Farkas hoped he'd find them eating breakfast, but they had no such luck... Farkas just stood in the center of the mostly empty tavern for several moments, feeling at a loss... he could smell that she'd come down there that morning... He was just making his way to the door, hoping he'd be able to follow her scent amidst the strong smells of Riften, when the Argonian woman behind the bar noticed them and spoke up.

"Oh, the ladies you were with last night asked me to tell you they went to Balimund's if you came looking for them," she smiled a toothy grin at them and Farkas, though confused, nodded in relief. Vilkas expressed their thanks with some words Farkas didn't bother listening to while he headed out the door.

Once outside, Farkas was more relieved to notice he probably could have found and followed her scent even if he hadn't known where she'd gone. Hers was a pleasant scent that contrasted the smells of fish and rot that rose from the stagnant canal beneath the city.

Curiously, Farkas strolled across the market, and sure enough, found Duna, standing between Lydia and Balimund, at Balimund's forge. Duna was working on forging something and Balimund and Lydia were both watching curiously. Farkas could smell the dragon bone being heated before he got to them and smiled curiously as he approached the forge. Duna was sweaty, with her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked, and as he glanced at the thing she was hammering, a wide grin spread across his face. It was exactly what he was hoping for when he smelled the dragon bone... the mace she'd promised to make him. Farkas just stared in wonder for a moment as he looked at it... Duna must have gotten up and out here around the same time Farkas had first gone in to the washroom, she looked nearly finished with it.

Farkas found it a little funny they'd both thought to make wedding presents out of dragon bone...

"By Ysmir... is that dragon bone?" Vilkas asked, walking up behind him.

"Yep," Duna smiled, wiping her brow as she moved the mace back to the forge. She didn't look surprised as she looked up at the two of them. She smiled as her eyes met Farkas's and it made his heart jump.

"My forge is one of the few in Skyrim that burns hot enough to work dragon bone," Balimund said proudly, "hot as Red Mountain lava."

Farkas decided not to admit that he'd also been forging bone in that forge only a few hours ago. Vilkas said something of a polite, impressed response, to which Balimund responded, but Farkas hardly paid attention to them... he was simply transfixed by the sight of Duna leaning over the forge looking like a sooty, sweaty mess, with her hair pulled back in a short tuft of a ponytail and several strands falling back into her flushed pink face...

Why in Oblivion had he let Vilkas make him take so long to thoroughly clean and shave and then clean his armor, if she could look so sexy being such a mess?

"I'm sorry, it's taking... a little longer than I planned," Duna said a little breathlessly as she pulled the mace back out and began to hammer the ends again, "I had Balimund make the ebony part, and Lydia cut the leather while I shaped the bone, but it's still taking longer than I thought," she grumbled.

"Can't rush good craftsmanship," Balimund shrugged.

"Temple's open till dusk," Farkas shrugged as well, trying not to let his anxiousness show. Vilkas clapped him on the shoulder with a smirk before dragging a couple of barrels over. With a sigh Farkas sat and watched, resigning himself that the wedding would be after lunch now.

Duna looked back up at him and he could see the sincerely apologetic look in her eyes, which greatly settled his nerves... this wasn't an intentional delay... they were still getting married... Farkas smiled back at her as she continued working.

Finally, it was nearly lunch time and Farkas was becoming very aware that he had neither slept nor eaten, and was seriously wondering how he could have been dumb enough to just skip breakfast, when Duna finished at the grinding stone and took the mace to the work bench. Farkas cocked his head curiously as she used a leather-wrapped hot nail to etch something into the leather handle.

"There," she said at last looking up at Farkas with an excited smile. Farkas got up excitedly, looking in appreciation as Duna held up the mace... it had a leather-wrapped ebony handle, and was mounted with a head of sharpened spikes of dragon bone...

"That's... that's..." Farkas stumbled to find words as he marveled at the weapon... he'd never seen anything quite like it... the ebony and the sharpened bones shone in the sun. "Wow..." he breathed as Duna stepped forward and proudly handed it to him.

Farkas took the mace in one hand, it was a beautiful, fearsome looking weapon, but his attention suddenly shifted entirely to Duna as her scent of sweat and soot caught his nose... almost reflexively, his other arm went to Duna's waist and he pulled her to him and kissed her.

"Thank you," he said in a low whisper as their lips parted.

"Read the inscription," she whispered back with a smile.

Farkas cocked his eyebrow curiously as he slowly let her step back so he could turn his attention back to the mace. The weight of it felt good, and the grip was comfortable... Farkas looked to the handle... burnt into the leather, in small, neat handwriting read:

"_For my Wolf,_

_From your Little Rabbit._"

Farkas's heart skipped and then began to race. For several moments he couldn't find words as he just read those words over again... her wolf... she saw him as her wolf... _hers_... she accepted that he was a werewolf... and he was hers...

Farkas blinked... he definitely might be reading too much into that inscription... it was probably as simple a nickname as him calling her his little rabbit... but he couldn't help but hope. Then Duna's gentle hands wrapped into his empty one, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Do you like it?" She whispered hopefully.

Farkas looked back to her beautiful face and grinned, "I love it." He gave her hands a gentle squeeze and leaned down to kiss her again. "I love you," he added.

"I love you too," Duna smiled, "how about we go to the temple after I go get cleaned up?"

She kissed him again and Farkas could only grin stupidly as she turned and hurried back to the inn.

Farkas heard Vilkas say something, but wasn't paying enough attention to catch what. He figured it had been directed at him when he heard Vilkas and a couple of other onlookers begin to chuckle.

"Huh?" Farkas turned, which only made Vilkas sigh and roll his eyes.

"Come on brother," Vilkas shook his head, "you should eat something."

Farkas had to admit, he was grateful Vilkas made him get lunch. He and Vilkas ate quickly at the tavern while Lydia brought food upstairs for Duna.

Duna didn't take as long to wash up as Farkas had, but then she didn't have to scrub as much salt out of her armor. He smelled her before he saw her... freshly bathed with her wildflower soap... she never could completely wash the smoky smell from the forge away... and dragon scales always smelled a little metallic and fiery... she smelled a little different too... she had added a slight hint of milk and honey...

Then he could hear her footsteps as she made her way downstairs... then he could smell the adrenaline in her bloodstream and hear her heart racing... then she finally made it down stairs and into view...

Farkas grinned. She hadn't done anything strange or drastic... she'd simply washed... her hair was clean and shining with the front pulled back in two small braids that were held together in the back with a simple hair clip... she'd cleaned her armor so that it practically shined... she'd forgone the makeup, and with the exception of the braids, she looked simply like his Duna... Farkas thought she was absolutely gorgeous...

"Come on brother, chew with your mouth closed," Vilkas laughed.

Farkas blinked. He hadn't even realized his mouth was open. He quickly swallowed the last of the bread he'd had with lunch, chugged down the rest of his mead, and got to his feet as Duna approached the table.

"R-ready?" She asked quietly.

Farkas's heart skipped, he could smell her adrenaline... she smelled terrified, but her smile was happy, and she seemed excited.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded, reaching for her hand.

"Let's get going then," Lydia smiled, walking up behind them.

"Aye," Vilkas agreed, getting to his feet as well.

Farkas made the walk to the temple holding Duna's hand and feeling like he was in a dream. The priest was waiting for them and motioned the two of them forward. The temple's warm atmosphere now filled with a sweet burning incense only made the whole thing feel more dreamlike... gods, Farkas prayed this wasn't a dream...

Vilkas and Lydia took their seats on the bench nearest the front, and the smiling, Redguard priest began...

"...We gather here today, under Mara's loving gaze, to bear witness to the union of two souls in eternal companionship..."

Farkas heard Duna's heart begin to race as the priest continued, and suddenly felt his own begin to run at a similar pace... she wasn't going to change her mind was she?

Farkas only half listened as the priest continued, most of his focus was on Duna... she still had a smile on her face... but her pulse was frantic...

"Do you agree to be bound together in love, now and forever?" The priest directed the question toward Farkas first, and Farkas took a deep breath.

"I do," he answered with a smile, "now and forever."

Then the priest directed the same question to Duna, and Farkas thought his heart might beat out of his chest as he waited for her to answer... her breath caught in her throat... she swallowed and took a shaky breath...

"I..." she trailed off and Farkas could smell her fear... she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. When she opened her eyes she looked straight into Farkas's eyes and reached for his hand. Farkas couldn't breath for fear she was about to panic, but he smiled hopefully as he wrapped his hand around hers...

"I do," she said finally, "now and forever." She smiled and Farkas released the breath he'd been holding and smiled back at her in relief.

Then the priest presented them with the rings Farkas had made... now enchanted with Mara's blessing... Duna gasped in surprise as Farkas slipped the dragon bone ring onto her finger. Farkas grinned. He liked the way the enchantment gave the rings a slight golden shimmer. And Duna's ring fit her better than he could have hoped.

"You made these?" Duna whispered in disbelief.

"Mhmm," Farkas smiled, "you were makin' me a wedding present," he shrugged. "Do you like them?"

"I do," Duna grinned, "they're perfect."

Duna leaned in to hug him, and Farkas happily wrapped her in his arms, but then a moment later he pulled back so he could leaned down andkiss her. Duna kissed him back with obvious joy, and there were several cheers around the temple and lots of clapping... Farkas had almost forgotten they had an audience...

The priest said a few words of closing, something about walking together in this life and the next, but Farkas was only half listening...

Married... he was a married man... he wasn't sure what he'd expected, but he didn't really feel any different... the ring on his finger felt warm and comfortable, especially with Duna's hand holding his... and Duna— his _wife_, was smiling happily up at him... Farkas wasn't sure how he'd expected to feel, but in that moment he didn't think he could possibly be any happier... he was hers, and he would be forever.


	49. Nothing Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note to avoid possible confusion, this chapter was posted the same time as the one before it.  
Enjoy! :)
> 
> (Also, the tags have been updated again.)

The rest of the afternoon was mostly a blur for Farkas... the priest and priestess congratulated them as they made their way out the doors, then Vilkas and Lydia had said their goodbyes before leaving to head back to Ivrastead... and then eventually back to Whiterun.

Farkas had initially hoped to go back to the inn and rent one of the nicer rooms for the night. Duna was almost immediately uncomfortable with that idea, since everyone at the tavern would immediately assume what they were doing... Farkas decided not to point out that most people at every tavern they'd stayed at in the last week probably assumed the same thing...

Instead, they took a walk... Duna seemed nervous and lost in thought, but she also seemed to not want to let go of his hand, so Farkas was content to let her lead him as she wandered aimlessly through the city. His wolf spirit was less content and getting very impatient, but, per usual, Farkas told it to shut up and mentally forced it into submission while he kept an eye out for any potential trouble.

As the afternoon wore on, however, the wolf spirit began to relax and simply focus on Duna's scent... Farkas was intrigued by her scent as well... she still seemed nervous, but the sweet scent of her arousal was slowly increasing, and so was the scent of her fear... he was beginning to wonder what she was thinking so hard about... he definitely knew what he hoped she was considering...

Finally they had wandered near one of the gates and Duna looked up at him with her shy smile...

"Is... is there any reason we _need_ to go back to the inn tonight?" She asked quietly.

Farkas cocked his eyebrow at her in confusion... "not exactly..." he shrugged... he had been looking forward to cuddling up with her in a good bed... not to mention what he had been hoping her scent meant, but he'd do whatever she was comfortable with.

"I... I have my gear pack and my tent..." she continued in a shy voice, "what... what if we just... go...?"

"Your choice," Farkas shrugged, trying not to look or feel disappointed.

"W-we could just go... set up camp... s-somewhere... away from everyone...?" She suggested nervously, and Farkas's heart suddenly picked up again.

Farkas honesty couldn't tell if it was his wolf spirit or his own hopes, but his mind was suddenly filled with thoughts of pinning her beneath him and making love to her on a soft riverbank under the moons... gods, that idea seemed so perfect... so much better than just some room in a tavern...

That thought was probably his wolf spirit, but Farkas at least mostly agreed.

"It's still not too cold to camp if we stay far enough south," Farkas nodded, now trying not to look too eager.

"Let's go," Duna smiled, pulling him toward the gate.

Farkas made no complaint as they exited near the docks. Duna paused just a moment, looking out at the sun that was starting to sink in the sky, then to the lake around the city and the woods beyond... then she suddenly looked up at him with a mischievous smile...

"You know," she said quietly, "I don't think I ever got you back for dunking me in that stream a while back..."

"Oh really?" Farkas chuckled raising his eyebrows in surprise. He subtly shifted his weight to make sure he'd be harder to push into the water if she tried.

"Really," Duna smirked playfully. She leaned against him, and Farkas suspected her motives, and began to brace for the push...

But then, instead of shoving him, she let go of his hand, planted a quick kiss on his lips, winked at him, and suddenly took off at an all-out sprint across the docks.

"Wha— Hey!" Farkas took off after her. She got a good few seconds head start as Farkas had been braced to resist movement rather than take off at a sprint, and Farkas was pretty sure that had been her plan all along. He still couldn't help but grin as he chased after her.

Duna was small and nimble, jumping and running across the docks... darting around people and obstacles like a rabbit. Farkas had much less grace and just charged after her, and people got fearfully out of his way. He was pretty sure he'd knocked Maul into the water, but he didn't stop to find out. He continued clumsily after her as Duna hopped and ran across a few boats and made it to the bank... Farkas nearly fell in more than once but did actually manage to make it to the bank as well.

Duna paused only a moment to make sure he was following, and then with another smirk, she dashed into the woods.

Farkas's blood pounded in his ears as he raced after her.

What was she thinking? Was she trying to rile him up? If she was, it was certainly working...

They ran through the woods, Duna darting nimbly between trees, periodically glancing back to make sure he was still following.

In light armor, Farkas was much faster than he was used to and he actually surprised himself how well he was able to keep up... his beast blood was raging... all of his senses were honed and zeroed in on Duna... the sight from behind her of those dragon scales hugging her curves... the sound of her racing heart and breathing only a few yards ahead of him... the smell of smoke, wildflowers, and honey mixed with sweat, adrenaline, and unmistakable arousal...

Farkas hoped with every fiber of his being that she was thinking the same thing he was... gods he wanted her so much...

Farkas lost track of time as he chased her... it could have been minutes, it could have been an hour. Then, finally, he didn't know if she was getting tired, or if she'd slowed on purpose so he could catch her, but with his momentum he'd nearly tackled her...

Duna made a noise that was something between a startled gasp and a giggle as his arms wrapped around her waist and they almost both went tumbling across the ground. Farkas pulled her close and took a few extra steps to steady them.

The sound of her breathing was erratic and excited, and she smelled so good... Farkas hardly thought before he began hungrily kissing along the side of her neck. To his delight, Duna shuddered and leaned her head so he could reach better.

"Stop me whenever you want..." his voice came out in a low growl that made goosebumps raise on Duna's skin as he kept kissing. He wasn't stopping unless she wanted him to...

"F-Farkas..." she said breathlessly only a moment later, and Farkas paused. She turned in his grasp, wrapped her arms around his neck, and then, to Farkas's excitement, her lips were on his. She kissed with just as much passion and excitement, and Farkas didn't hesitate to wrap her back in his arms. Her hands ran up to his head, stroking his scalp and playing with his hair... Farkas hungrily enjoyed the kiss for several moments before he began to let his hands roam more than he'd ever dared... from her back, to her hips... then finally down to the curve of her bottom... Duna inhaled sharply just as Farkas was thinking her armor was horribly in the way.

"Ok?" Farkas managed the whispered question as Duna pulled just slightly back. Duna nodded, and leaned her forehead against his catching her breath for a moment and then leaned back to look into his eyes again. Farkas looked at her attentively, barely resisting the urge to continue covering her in kisses... her lips were more red than usual, and just a little swollen from kissing...

Then, to Farkas's surprise, Duna's hands ran to the sides of his armor, up under some of the scales and began undoing the buckles...

Farkas waisted no time on stepping back and hoisting his armor over his head and setting it down beside them... his gauntlets and leg greaves followed moments later. When he turned back to Duna in just his pants and undershirt, he forced himself to stop and make sure she was ok with this...

To his disappointment, she had stepped further back, and was looking around them a little nervously. Suddenly feeling a little stupid, Farkas shifted his attention to their surroundings as well...

They were in a small clearing in the forest, just big enough for a tent and a fire... he could hear a small stream running several yards away on the other side of several trees, there were probably mud crabs in it, but they were too far away to worry about... the sun was just below the horizon and torchbugs were just starting to light up the woods around them... Farkas could smell a couple of deer grazing calmly in the woods a ways off as well... he didn't detect any predators, or other people...

His eyes suddenly snapped back to Duna as she began to slowly unbuckle her own armor... he suddenly didn't trust himself to move... he just watched mesmerized as she slowly hoisted the scales over her head, revealing her sleeveless under tunic... Farkas's heart pounded as she took off her gauntlets and boots and set them all together beside his...

Then she looked up at him and blushed a deep, beautiful shade of pink. Farkas was pretty sure his face had exactly what he was thinking showing plainly all across it. She smiled at him and then looked back down, and blushed a little more. Farkas couldn't help but grin as he guessed what she'd caught sight of.

"W-we should... s-set up c-camp..." she mumbled as she pulled out her gear pack. Farkas swallowed, took a deep breath, and watched as she pulled out her bed roll and the saber cat pelts... "d-do you want the tent or... just...?" She trailed off uncertainly looking around their small clearing and at larger moon just beginning to rise.

"Whatever you want, love," Farkas nodded. He heard Duna's breath catch in her throat again... she looked back at up into his eyes...

"Farkas, I... I want you..." she whispered.

Farkas's eyebrows shot up in hopeful surprise as he processed her words. His initial reaction was reach back to her and wrap his arms around her waist again. Duna dropped the bedroll and tossed the saber cat pelts onto the ground beside them before she eagerly wrapped her arms around his shoulders again... but this time, without the adrenaline of their chase, Farkas realized she still smelled just as terrified as aroused. Farkas took another deep breath to control himself, and brought his hands up to cup her face as he pulled back to look into her eyes

"You're sure?" He asked gently.

Duna's pulse was racing so hard Farkas could feel her pulse at the sides of her neck with his hands on her face, but she took a shuddered breath and nodded. She looked sincerely back at him and managed a nervous smile.

"I was almost too scared to say my vows this afternoon," she admitted, "but when I focused on you, they were suddenly easy to say. I love you," she smiled. "Part of me is going to be terrified of this next step, no matter when we take it, so there's no more point in waiting. I've decided I don't want you to miss out on your wedding night. I will give myself to you; you are worth it." With that she leaned in and kissed him and Farkas kissed her back gently, hardly daring to believe he wasn't dreaming... still not daring to move first...

"And," Duna smirked up at him once their lips parted again, "the other part of me really does want you just as much as I can tell you want me..."

Farkas felt like his heart jumped into his throat... he tried to calm his wolf spirit but he was just as excited as it was at this point, so instead he just forced it to stay gentle.

"I love you," was all he managed to say as he leaned back in to kiss her... other thoughts and words had completely left him.

Farkas wanted to remember every detail of that night for the rest of his life...

It was awkward... it was clumsy... it was blissful... it was passionate... it was perfect...

His imagination had never done her body justice... the sight, smell, taste, and feel of her skin against him was more than he'd ever dreamed. Duna absolutely amazed him as they lost their virginity slowly, and gently... lying beneath the stars with her on top of him, slowly easing into the act...

No, Farkas thought later, '_lost_' was the wrong word for it... nothing about that night was a loss... it was a gift... a beautiful gift.

Lying beneath the stars, slowly, gently, blissfully, Farkas _made love_ to his wife for the first time.

When he woke with her in his arms the next morning, smiling in her sleep, he couldn't help but feel that Vilkas had worried for nothing... that the gods had to be on their side...

Prophesy, Thalmor, and imperials be damned. This was his wife, this was his mate... no one could take her from him.


	50. Dragon Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning after fluff... and hazards...

It was a bit of a cold, misty morning, but Farkas couldn't imagine a better start to a day... laying out under the trees, watching the sun rise over the mountains in the east, wrapped in his bedroll between a couple of saber cat pelts, with his wife's naked body pressed against his... gods it was all so lovely... part of him still expected he would wake from a dream any moment as he gently ran his hands across her smooth skin...

Well, mostly smooth at least... smoother than his own by far. The night before Farkas had discovered a number of small surprises he hadn't known were hidden by her armor and clothing... that morning he thought back over them as his hands traveled slowly across her sleeping body.

Most of her right leg and at least half of her left were covered in faint burn scars— they were hardly visible, but Farkas could just feel them when he ran his hands along her legs... he suspected they were from running through the burning building she'd told him about when she escaped Helgen. There was also the scars along her upper arm from the saber cat she'd skinned to make her cloak. She had a few more faint traces of burn scars peppered several other places— Farkas guessed those were from her fight with that dragon priest. He'd also noticed the arrowhead scar from their fight with the Thalmor in the Ratway. He realized she'd accumulated a lot of scars for someone so new to adventuring.

Then Farkas smiled as his fingers ran across the slightly raised birthmark on the back of her left hip...

He had so many new details of her body he could commit to memory now... Farkas knew some people would see a lot of his new discoveries as flaws or imperfections, but to him the scars were badges of honor, reminders of the fights she'd survived... and the birthmark, that was just a beautiful little quirk that only her husband had the privilege of knowing about, and Farkas loved it.

His wolf spirit stirred contentedly in his chest as he continued gently tracing his fingers across her skin...  
He wondered what it would be like to mate in his beast form... what would Duna be like as a beast?

Farkas inhaled deeply... she smelled clearly like his mate now...

_His mate_...

He could be her forebearer, he thought... he was sure she would agree to that if he told her he wanted her to... she had asked about it before...

She would be the most beautiful wolf to ever grace Hircine's Hunting Grounds... she would have sleek, black fur... she would be spry and quick and fierce... and...

Farkas shook his head almost violently. No. _That_ was definitely his wolf spirit thinking, not him.

She had asked him about the beast blood, but he would stand by what he'd told her; she didn't have to accept the beast blood to be with him. He didn't want her to suffer his curse...

Hircine would never get a hold of her if he had anything to say about it.

Farkas took another deep breath to just appreciate and study Duna's scent again...  
She mostly still smelled like she always did... honey, smoke, wildflowers, and some milk and honey soap she seemed to have washed her hair with... but now, aside from the trace of blood from breaching her maidenhead, she also smelled distinctly like him.

Farkas had never really analyzed his own scent before, but now that it was so distinctly on Duna, he couldn't help but pick out the elements of it...

There was definitely a strong hint of musk, a bit like a wild animal, made only stronger by the saltiness of his sweat and his seed, but he could also smell hints of his preferred soap that was faintly scented with cedar, and his warpaint that he made with charcoal, clay, and deer fat...

Farkas chuckled quietly as he realized Duna had several dark splotches across her skin where his warpaint had smudged onto her... along her cheek... down her neck... below her collarbone... Farkas grinned remembering how those smudges must have gotten there... he was sure his face was a smeared mess...

He leaned down and kissed Duna's forehead, and she hummed happily as her eyes fluttered open again.

"Good morning love," he grinned.

"Mmm..." Duna smiled as she began to untangle her limbs from his and stretch. "Good morning," she said with a yawn a moment later. She smiled back up at him as she settled against him again.

"How do you feel?" Farkas asked quietly as he reached to her face to brush a few strands of her hair from her face.

"Oh..." Duna sighed, "a little sore to be honest, but it's a good sore," she assured him with another smile. "I feel ...good..." she added, "how are you?"

"I'm good," Farkas grinned, "...happy..."

"Me too," she smiled... and then her smile shifted to more of a mischievous grin and she suddenly rolled herself fully on top of him again with her knees straddling his stomach and her lovely breasts pressed against his chest. "I feel like I should have married you and done all of that weeks ago," she smirked before pulling herself forward to kiss his lips.

Farkas wrapped his arms around her more tightly and kissed her back. He was almost immediately excited and aroused again. He could definitely get used to her waking up in this kind of mood... she already smelled as aroused as he was. "So we need to make up for lost time, yeah?"

"My thoughts exactly," Duna smirked, making Farkas's heart pound excitedly as he began to pull her hips down toward his own. Duna simply hummed approvingly and kept kissing him.

But they were interrupted suddenly by a familiar sound that made them both look up with a start... the roar of an approaching dragon.

"Oh for fuck sake," Duna groaned in irritation as she rolled off of him.

The cold air hit Farkas like a sobering slap as Duna jumped up and threw back the bedroll.

"Shit, and it's cold out here," she hissed as her bare feet hit the dew-covered grass. She quickly summoned her bow and began to scan the sky.

They couldn't see they dragon yet, but Farkas could hear and smell that it was close. He swore under his breath as he scrambled to the pile of their weapons and armor.   
Farkas's initial reaction had been to feel as irritated by the interruption as Duna sounded, but his irritation was quickly turning to fear.

Naked in a dragon fight was among the last situations Farkas wanted to be in, but he knew neither of them had time to get dressed. He'd barely finished that thought when the dragon swooped toward them, spewing fire down into their campsite.

Farkas just managed to get a hold of his enchanted gear pack before they both had to dive out of the way of the flames. Farkas pulled out his staff and his new mace, flinging a fireball up at the dragon's retreating form as it swooped back to the sky, no doubt preparing for another pass.

He was nervously starting to question his idea that the gods were on their side... without his armor he didn't think he'd live long enough for Duna's healing spell to save him if he failed to dodge that dragon's fire...

Fortunately, with literally nothing weighing him down, Farkas quickly found he was a good bit more agile than he was used to being... he just wasn't as used to fighting like that... he was used to being the big one in heavy armor, not the one who ran and dodged every hit... even wearing lighter armor as he had been lately, he still tended to take more hits than a more agile fighter should.

The dragon made several passes and Farkas just managed keep dodging the gouts of fire, but he was pretty sure he'd singed all the hair off his back side. As the trees around them slowly caught fire, it got more difficult to avoid the flames and Farkas heard Duna swear several times. Finally, the dragon came in for another pass and Duna lodged an arrow into one of its wing joints just as Farkas managed to lob a fireball into the same wing, and the dragon came crashing into the trees. Ironically, it smothered most of the forest fire when it did.

The angry dragon lunged, snarling and snapping at Duna, but she shouted a "FUS RO DAH" back into its face.

Farkas ran in from the dragon's side and brought his mace solidly down on the dragon's other wing. To his surprise, the spikes of the mace tore clean into the dragon's flesh, and he heard bones snapping. The dragon flailed furiously and Farkas narrowly avoided taking one of its horns to his face, while he brought the mace down on the dragon's skull. Three more purple arrows flew into its face in rapid succession as the dragon thrashed about in its death throes. Farkas jumped clear of the flailing dragon only to trip on a downed tree and land on his ass in the smoldering coals. Farkas yelped and jumped up again, very uncomfortably aware that he was still naked. If he hadn't singed the hair off his rear before he certainly had now... not to mention burned a few very tender places...

Once his eyes fell on Duna and saw that she was unharmed, Farkas quickly found one of the remaining cool patches of grass to sit in while he waited for her to finish absorbing the dragon's soul.

Only a moment later, Duna did a double take upon seeing him wincing on the ground and ran frantically over to him. Her healing magic was already washing over him before she even reached him.

"Are you ok?" She asked worriedly reaching out to him. Her glowing hands caressed his face as the magic flowed down his body, soothing all of his burns.

Farkas sighed comfortably, relieved as the pain left the tender places with no lasting damage... gods he was grateful Duna could use healing magic...

"Am now," he smiled, letting his arms wrap around her waist as the golden spell faded. He froze and pulled back as he heard her hiss in pain.

Farkas's gut tightened uncomfortably and his heart lurched as he saw the burns that now ran along her right side, over her bow arm and down her back to her hips... She'd healed him before healing herself...

"Duna..." he whispered in apologetic concern.

"I'm ok," Duna shook her head as her hands lit up again and the golden light began to engulf her. "When I saw you on the ground I was afraid you might have been more critical."

"Just uncomfortable," Farkas shook his head, slowly letting his hands rest on her bare hips again, "good as new now," he added with a grin as his eyes traveled slowly up her body. She was going to have some new burn scars now, but the magic did undo most of the damage. Her body was still so perfect... at least in Farkas's eyes...

"Me too," she smiled as the golden light faded.

Farkas pulled her a little closer, and she smirked as she allowed him to. With her standing in front of him, his face came to just the right height for him to admire her in a particularly intimate way...

He was just starting to think about pulling her down to him to pick up where they left off, but then Farkas saw her glance back to the dragon skeleton.

"I guess that's the trouble with having our wedding night in the middle of nowhere," she said, looking back down at him sheepishly.

Farkas chuckled. "Yeah..." he realized he hadn't even fully mentally acknowledged what had just happened yet...

He’d been about to make love to his wife again, and then gotten caught naked by a dragon instead... and gotten his balls burned because he fell backwards over a burning log... "probably not a story we wanna go back and tell at Jorrvaskr..." he added sheepishly.

"Probably not," Duna giggled.

"Though," Farkas added, with a thoughtfully embarrassed smirk, "Vilkas would probably laugh till he pissed himself if I told him I got my balls burned by a dragon..."

"You burned your..." Duna's eyes widened, "divines, Farkas are you ok?" She stepped back to look down into his lap in concern, but then her eyebrows raised in surprise instead.

"I said good as new," Farkas laughed, "you fixed me good."

She looked back at his face again with her shy smile that made his heart race... he could still smell her adrenaline... it was slowly shifting to arousal...

"I'm glad," she said, but then she sighed and looked back at the dragon skeleton, "w-we should probably get cleaned up and head back to Riften for our horses..."

"We should," Farkas nodded, but he could hear and smell that there weren’t any more threats in the vicinity... the dragon had even scared off the mud crabs...

He looked over at the dragon bones as well and the inclined angle of the dragon's large shoulder blade caught his attention... a very appealing idea —that honestly probably came from his wolf spirit— popped into Farkas's head...

He grinned and got to his feet. Duna gasped and smiled as he lifted her off her feet... "but first..." Farkas added... his grin turned a little wolffish as he wrapped his arms around her bottom and lifted her high enough that he could trail kisses all over her lovely chest. Duna sighed in obvious approval and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his head, resting her elbows on his shoulders.

He carried her over to the skeleton and leaned her against the large shoulder blade. He pulled back enough to look up into her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You can still stop me whenever you want," he whispered seriously.

"I know," Duna smiled, and then she leaned forward to kiss his lips.

Making love against the dragon bones was much less gentle than their first time had been, but to Farkas's surprise, Duna still seemed to enjoy it as much as he did.


	51. Warpaint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short bonus chapter! Enjoy!

The sun was well over the horizon by the time they began to pack up and clean up for the day. Farkas took care of his business and then joined Duna at the small stream to clean up. He found her grimacing and shivering as she stepped into the cold water.

"I didn't hurt ya, did I?" Farkas asked in concern.

"N-no," Duna shook her head, looking back at him with a soft smile, "it's j-just c-c-cold," she shivered as she stepped further in to the water, "a-and I-I th-thought I w-was d-done... b-b-but I-I'm g-gonna have t-to w-w-wash a l-lot m-m-more..." she gestured shakily to the smear of his warpaint beneath her breasts.

"You're not gettin' that off with water," Farkas shook his head, "come 'ere."

She obliged eagerly and Farkas wrapped his arms around her.

"Gods, you're freezing," he noticed in concern as he rubbed her vigorously for a moment.

"Water's cold," she grumbled, leaning eagerly into his touch.

"So I noticed," Farkas nodded. He pulled out his bearskin cloak and draped it across her shoulders.

Once she got dried off and warmed up, she sat comfortably on one of the rocks beside the stream and Farkas tried not to get distracted by how sexy she looked wearing only his cloak... instead he pulled out one of his small cleaning towels, wet it in the stream, and busied himself trying to clean his warpaint off of her.

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly as he tried to scrub it off gently, "this stuff takes some pretty good scrubbing to get off..."

"It's ok." Duna giggled as he scrubbed at her sides, which made Farkas chuckle.

He finished cleaning her off and then scrubbed his own face vigorously with his cloth while Duna got dressed. She finished with her armor in time to watch as he reapplied his warpaint.

"Farkas..." Duna asked curiously, "why do you wear your warpaint like that? Is there a story to it?"

"Looks scary," Farkas shrugged as he wiped his fingers off on his towel, "our father, Jergen, had red warpaint he wore like this, and Vilkas says having something dark around your eyes helps you see in the bright sun, so I mixed up this color and Vilkas and I have been wearin' it since."

"I see," Duna nodded with a smile, "so its functional, and honors your father..."

"Yeah," Farkas smiled. It had been a long time since he'd given any thought to the way he wore his warpaint...

"Does it actually helps that much in the sunlight?" She asked curiously a moment later.

"I think so," Farkas said with another shrug, "helps with the glare off the snow at least."

"Do... do you think I should wear some?" She asked uncertainly.

Farkas looked back to her face thoughtfully... she was an archer... and they were about to be traveling in more snow... it certainly couldn't hurt...

"If you want to," he nodded.

"I mean... if you think I should... I... I would like to try it..." she replied, then looking embarrassed she added, "would... would you put it on f-for me? I... I've actually only ever put my own makeup on a handful of times... Laeka and some of the other servants usually did that for me," she admitted sheepishly.

"No worries," Farkas smiled. He examined her face thoughtfully again. "Got any particular style in mind?"

"Nope," she smirked, "however you think it should look... you're my husband, you'll be the one who has to look at it the most."

"Alright..." Farkas chuckled... he loved the comfortable, matter-of-fact way she called him her husband...

He gently ran his thumb along her cheek as he considered how she should wear her warpaint... he couldn't bring himself to obscure her face too much, so he decided to just start with functional dark lines around her eyes and then decide what to do from there...

"Close your eyes," he instructed gently as he dipped his fingers back into his container of paint...

Duna obliged and Farkas gently ran a thick line across one eyelid, then the other...

"Look up..."

Duna opened her eyes and looked toward the sky so Farkas could trace an even thicker line under each eye as well. He could tell she was used to having people do her makeup for her, she barely flinched as his fingers passed close to her eyes.

Then he stopped to consider again... just that would be functional, but he thought she needed some kind of design... she should look fearsome...

"Close them again..."

He smoothed the lines around her left eye into one, and then traced out along her cheekbone into a tapered point. He paused to consider that... he decided it looked a little like Ria's paint and he didn't care for it...

He dipped his fingers back in the paint and continued the thick line out to her temple, then down the outside of her jaw, and then brought it all the way down to taper into a point at her neck...

He liked that look much better and repeated it on her right side...

"Look at me?"

Duna opened her eyes and looked back at him, and Farkas's breath caught in his throat. The dark paint made her blue eyes stand out much more brightly... the effect was beautiful... and definitely fearsome.

"See what you think," Farkas grinned and pulled out one of his skyforge steel swords. It had enough of a shine for her to see her reflection.

"Oh..." Duna breathed, quietly taking the sword and examining her reflection... "divines... Farkas you’re an artist! I barely look like myself... you... you think I look good like this?"

"I do," Farkas nodded, "you still look like my beautiful wife to me..."

"Yeah, but you think I'm sexy in dragon scale armor," she replied with a smirk.

"You are," Farkas shrugged, "and fearsome," he added with a grin.

"A fearsome little rabbit, huh?" Duna giggled.

"Might have to start callin' you my little dragon..." Farkas chuckled.

"Nah," Duna smiled, "I'll always be your little rabbit."

Farkas’s heart skipped happily at that. "Doesn't mean you're not also my beautiful dragon," he grinned.

Duna just giggled and put the sword down before leaning in to kiss him...

But then Farkas suddenly realized a potential problem with the warpaint design he'd just settled on...

"I might have to rethink your paint design though," he grumbled when their lips parted.

"Why's that?" Duna asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I'm gonna smudge it all up when I start kissin' you like I want to..."

"I guess you'll just have to repaint me then," Duna smiled.

"Mmm..." Farkas raised an eyebrow and considered her face again... he decided he'd just have to think about it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my kids are starting homeschooling this week...  
Honestly I don't know if that’s gonna mean updates slow down ‘cause I’ll be busy, or if I’ll have more updates because writing is my stress-reliever...   
Either way I’m most likely going to push regular updates back to Saturdays or Sundays because Thursday nights are gonna be school nights again.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who’s been giving me positive feedback on any of my works, I really appreciate it! :)


	52. Into Blackreach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting back to business...

Farkas and Duna made their way back to Riften to collect their horses and buy some extra gear. Duna finally bought some warmer clothes to go under her armor. She offered to either buy or make some for Farkas, but he assured her he'd be fine with what he already had. With the bearskin cloak all he'd need was to switch to his thicker socks and long sleeved shirt when they got up into the colder parts of Skyrim.

Then they got a quick lunch and spent the rest of the day riding north.

Farkas had originally been looking forward to going back to Whiterun to celebrate their wedding with his family at Jorrvaskr, but the dragon attack that morning had been a sobering reminder that they needed to stop wasting time. They needed to go find that Elder Scroll, and pray that would give them the secrets to defeating the World Eater...

Farkas wrote letters to Kodlak and Vilkas informing them of their current plans, and thanking Kodlak again for the amulet. He knew at least Vilkas would approve of no more detours.

The entrance to Blackreach that the crazy old man had marked on Duna's map was back north, in the province of Winterhold, up in the mountains. Duna figured it would be easiest to find the path up the mountain if they started from the road in Winterhold, so they agreed they were headed back to the frozen little city.

They'd gotten a bit of a late start, and stopped to camp just north of Shor's Stone the first night. The days were getting shorter the later in the year it got, so they'd had to stop to camp again somewhere outside of Windhelm. Neither of them wanted to push their luck going all the way into Windhelm, even though an inn would have been nice... they were both pretty sure Ulfric was going to be upset when he learned of their marriage...

They made it back to Winterhold by the third night, and at least had _a_ night in a warm inn.

They were in a considerable hurry to get to Blackreach and find that scroll... but they were also still newlyweds...

To Farkas's relief, all hints of Duna being afraid of intimacy steadily vanished, and her confidence grew as they explored this new level of their relationship.

His concerns of smudging up her warpaint proved to be entirely founded, but he decided he'd just have to get used to washing more regularly —which would probably make him smell better anyway— because Duna did notice that the dark paint helped with glare when she was shooting. At least he really did like the look of it...

He liked the look of her in general honestly...

His wife... the Dragonborn... a fearsome warrior, clad in dragon scales with dark hair and dark warpaint and shining blue eyes... and underneath it all she was still his little rabbit...

Farkas grinned as he watched her hike out of Winterhold the next morning. It was hard not to think back to their earlier morning activities as he watched the sway of her hips as she began climbing the snow-covered mountain trail in front of him...

The way he'd gotten her breathlessly gasping his name...

Farkas shook his head, he needed to focus now...

...Gods he was so ready to be done with all of this and settle down somewhere with his wife...

...Focus...

Blackreach, he thought... Dwemer ruins... they were likely in for a long, rough day, if not more... he was not looking forward to it.

They'd left Dapple and Boy stabled in Winterhold again. Farkas didn't think Blackreach sounded like any place to bring a horse... not to mention the path to the Dwemer ruin was icy and treacherous...

Inside the Dwemer ruin was icy and treacherous too...

Previously, Farkas had mostly avoided Dwemer ruins. The machines left behind by the Dwemer were unnatural and made him uncomfortable. He was glad he had the dragon bone mace, he didn't think any kind of metal blade would do much good against the brass creatures... if they could even be called creatures...

Duna's magic arrows seemed to do relatively well against them, but she blunted her sword pretty badly when two of the awful spider-like machines came at her at once while Farkas was dealing with three others.

Gods he hated these things... the bigger machines were worse though...

At one point in the maze of stone and metal pipes Farkas got the idea to pull out his staff... the fire seemed to hurt the rolling Dwemer abomination at least a bit... but then the flaming machine rolled into an oil slick on the floor and the whole room lit up around them.

Farkas and Duna had both barely managed to jump back enough to avoid the flames, and Farkas decided the staff was a bad idea anywhere where he could smell oil. At least it had destroyed the machine he was aiming at.

They pressed on through the winding ancient stone hallways that were still buzzing eerily with the sounds of the steam in the pipes and cogs and gears turning somewhere out of view.

They were just getting into part of the ruin that looked like it was more icy cave-in than than Dwemer construction, when Farkas heard something other than pipes and machinery... the frantic voice of an angry Khajiit...

"Where is it? I know you are trying to keep it for your self, J'zhar... You always try to keep it for yourself! No! There's got to be more Skooma..."

The Khajiit was talking to someone, but Farkas only smelled one living person... he and Duna exchanges uneasy glances.

"I smell blood," Farkas whispered, readying his shield and mace. Duna nodded, clearly uncomfortable as they proceeded slowly forward...

The Khajiit was still ranting...

"Shut up! Shut up! Don't lie to me, J'zhar! You hid it! You always try to hide it from me!"

They rounded the corner slowly to find a ragged looking Khajiit man rifling through the pockets of another Khajiit man that was dead on the icy ground.

"He needs help," Duna mumbled quietly standing up. Farkas uncomfortably followed suit... he didn't disagree, but he suspected this man was beyond help...

Farkas stayed close to Duna as she stepped toward the crazed man...

"What?" The Khajiit's head suddenly snapped toward them and he got to his feet. "Who is this, brother? Another of the smoothskins looking for food? But this one wasn't trapped with us..."

Before either of them could say anything, the Khajiit grabbed a bloody woodcutter's axe and charged wildly toward them.

Farkas lunged in, catching the man's axe with his shield and shoved him backwards. In the same moment Duna jumped backwards and a dark purple arrow flew over Farkas's shoulder and lodged into the raging Khajiit's throat. Farkas was pretty sure Duna had gotten a kill shot, but he continued his momentum forward and smashed the man's skull with his mace just to be safe.

There was a tense silence after the Khajiit's axe clattered to the ground. Duna and Farkas stood back to back, catching their breath and waiting for more attackers, but none came.

"Think he was the last one alive down here," Farkas commented a few moments later, "I don't smell anyone else."

"Ok," Duna sighed. She relaxed just a little and then began to rifle through the Khajiits' belongings. Farkas just stood watch as she tried to make sense of the scene.

"Well this is sad," she commented a few moments later putting a small journal back where she'd found it.

Farkas just raised his eyebrows curiously.

"Looks like he killed his own brother over skooma," she explained gesturing back at the Khajiit they'd just had to kill.

Farkas shook his head uncomfortably, "skooma's a nasty thing."

Duna nodded, clearly just as uncomfortable before moving on to search what appeared to have been a makeshift camp...

"The journal said they were on some kind of expedition," Duna commented a moment later as she moved on to investigate a few more bodies. "Doesn't look like there's much useful here though, they were running out of— hello, what's this?" Duna suddenly pulled a dark purple book from the pocket of a dead woman in leather armor... Farkas watched curiously as she began to thumb through the pages...

"Oh this is useful..." she mumbled a few more moments later. Then she looked excitedly up to Farkas, "this is a spell just like the one I use for a bow and arrow, but it's a sword," she explained with a smile.

"How long d'you need to learn it?" Farkas asked. A magic sword sounded very useful, he thought, no more blunting her skyforge steel on Dwemer contraptions...

"Probably just a few minutes," Duna said, turning her attention back to the book, "I already know the one for the bow so..."

She trailed off in concentration and Farkas turned his attention to listening and watching for trouble.

He listened to the hum of the machinery around them... the clanging of steam in pipes somewhere overhead... the scuttling of the infernal spider shaped machines— Farkas was starting to hate those worse than the living frostbite spiders... at least those made a satisfying but disgusting crunch-squish sound when he smashed them with his mace... these Dwemer contraptions just fell apart with a clank... what was to stop some other machine from coming along and putting it back together? It wasn't alive, so he couldn't actually kill it...

Then Farkas's attention was pulled back to Duna as he heard the familiar flash of magic... he turned to see her holding a mean looking, slightly transparent, glowing, dark purple sword...

"Got it!" She grinned excitedly, "let's see those stupid brass spiders blunt this."

"Let's go," Farkas grinned back at her.

They continued winding their way through the stone hallways, and Duna did get to test out her new summoned sword. Farkas was thinking things were going better than he'd expected when Duna hefted open another large metal door and Farkas caught a a whiff of something with flesh and blood.

"Hold on," he said in a low whisper... he smelled more than one of them... they sounded like two-legged creatures, but they smelled foul... like damp, poison, and fish... but Farkas also smelled a crackle of magic, which told him they were likely something sentient... he didn't like this...

Duna summoned her bow as they moved slowly forward into a large cavern that had narrow winding stone walkways leading between various platforms... Farkas really didn't like this...

He didn't have time to look down to see how far down the cavern went before he heard the creatures suddenly begin moving toward them.

"Get ready for a fight," Farkas warned, not bothering to be quiet as he raised his shield and mace. Duna stepped back, nocking an arrow to her bowstring...

Moments later the ugliest humanoid creature Farkas had ever seen shuffled into view...

It vaguely reminded Farkas of an Altmer or Bosmer, but it's skin was a waxy white, it's ears were too long, and it's face was a grotesque thing... it's nose was nearly nonexistent and looked like long skeletal holes in its face, and the eyes looked like scarred flesh had grown over them... it basically had no eyes...

This, Farkas realized, must be a Falmer... his father and Skjor and Kodlak told stories of fighting these awful things once... Vilkas said they were what was left of the elves that used to live in Skyrim...

The creature snarled and lunged toward them with a jagged, spiked sword.

Farkas was quick to intercept it with his shield and then smash into it with his mace, just before a bolt of lightning arced into him from further down the narrow walkway. Farkas yelled angrily, fighting through the pain, as Duna fired several arrows downward into the caster. Only moments later the lightning stopped and Farkas heard a body fall off the walkway. Then the third creature stepped forward and lunged at Farkas with an angry snarl, swinging an axe that looked like it had been made from the giant claw of some other horrible creature. Farkas caught its swing with his shield and Duna shot it in the face before Farkas continued his momentum and simply shield-bashed the creature off the ledge. He heard it land a longer ways down than he was expecting... at least he didn't hear or smell any more of them, but he was realizing this whole place smelled like these creatures lived here. He figured that probably meant there were more of them...

"What in Oblivion are these?" Duna asked poking at the one that hadn't fallen. Her expression was a mix of disgusted and curious.

"Probably Falmer," Farkas shrugged, wrinkling his nose at the thing, "I've heard stories about 'em but never seen 'em... smells like there's more down here though," he added grimly.

"Wonderful," Duna grumbled.

There were indeed several more Falmer lurking amidst the caverns and pipes. Farkas quickly determined he hated Falmer worse than the Dwemer machines. Falmer attacked mercilessly in groups and would swarm around them and fight to the very last just like the damn Foresworn had. More than once they were saved by Duna shouting a massive gout of fire into a group of them and then healing both of them with her magic. It didn't take long for them to divert back to their tactic of Duna following behind Farkas casting her healing spell while he plowed through Falmer with his mace and shield.

Finally, after turning down a few dead ends, they found a large door that opened out of the Dwemer hallways and into a massive subterranean cavern.

"...Wow..." Farkas marveled as they stepped out onto a large stone balcony. The balcony looked out at an entire landscape —an entire ecosystem— that was lit by giant glowing mushrooms, creating an eerie perpetual twilight.

"No kidding," Duna nodded staring around in amazement as well, "I would assume this is Blackreach..."

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed... and to think, less than a year ago, he thought he and Vilkas had pretty well been all over Skyrim and seen all there was to see... this place may as well have been a separate world...

"Never been anywhere like this," Farkas commented quietly, "Vilkas'll think I'm makin' it up when we get back."

"We can drag him back here if he doesn't believe us," Duna smirked.

Farkas chuckled in agreement at that.

Then movement caught his eye down the balcony steps...


	53. Random Buttons, a Scroll, and a Letter

Despite the Falmer, Farkas had to admit that the landscape of Blackreach was eerily beautiful. The large glowing mushrooms apparently provided enough light for a few plants to grow, and there was enough water in the underground rivers and waterfalls to support plenty of fungal growth.

Unfortunately the bizarre beauty of the place was marred by the fact that it was home to what seemed to be an entire civilization of Falmer... complete with their own unique construction of round huts and fenced in areas interspersed with ancient Dwemer stonework... and some awful giant, poison-spitting, insect-like creatures the Falmer seemed to keep as pets.

To make matters worse, it turned out that the Falmer seemed to be hostile toward everything that moved, and as he and Duna snuck and fought their way further into Blackreach, Farkas noticed the Falmer seemed to particularly hate him...

Duna could usually sneak past them, and Farkas wasn't any less quiet, but the Falmer seemed to smell him and attack him specifically with unprovoked persistence... they swarmed him mercilessly every chance they got. Farkas quickly lost count of how many he killed... or how many Duna saved him from...

It wasn't long before they took to simply sprinting past large groups of them and avoiding fighting when they could.

Farkas hated sneaking and running, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe they had any choice... just the two of them against the easily hundreds of Falmer in Blackreach was simply suicidal.

Despite the trouble the horrible creatures were giving him, Farkas was relieved Duna was fairing better against them. His wolf spirit stirred nervously every time the Falmer came near her. He was noticing his wolf spirit pulled at him even stronger now to always protect his mate. It made him almost frantic when the Falmer would swarm him to the point he couldn't keep track of her.

More than once he thought about transforming... if he hadn't promised Kodlak he wouldn't, he would have done it without hesitation, but the further into Blackreach they got, Farkas realized that transforming suddenly in the midst of the Falmer would probably just get them both killed... or at the very least put them in a more difficult situation.

Blackreach was a massive expanse of subterranean landscape that stretched for miles. If he transformed he'd have to feed to keep his form long enough to get through all the Falmer, and there was no way they'd be able to come back to collect his gear and armor later.

Farkas was afraid at first that they'd be lost down here, he couldn't smell the fresh air anymore... he was pretty sure he'd be able to smell where they'd been in order to backtrack, but that wouldn't get them to this scroll they needed, and with how they were running, he wasn't sure how long those scents would last...

Fortunately, after a few more hours, Duna noticed the strange contraptions that the crazy man in the ice cave had given her seemed to hum more strongly when she faced certain directions with them.

So after several more hours of avoiding Falmer and taking directions from bizarre Dwemer artifacts, they arrived at another large Dwemer building. Duna had to use one of the artifacts to open the path to the doors, and the air inside smelled like no one had been in this chamber in at least a century. The closest thing to another person Farkas smelled was a long dead skeleton.

Relieved, they stumbled down the stairs to make their way inside, and the door mechanism shut and locked behind them.

The whole chamber seemed to hum with a strange, ancient feeling magic. It was unlike anything Farkas had ever seen... a narrow corridor wrapped around a massive circular construction of gold rings with giant teal gemstones imbedded within it, and hanging in gold metal constructions overhead.

Duna made her way carefully up to what appeared to be some kind of observation deck where she found some kind of receptacle that the cube she'd been carrying fit into. Farkas meanwhile walked curiously up to the large metal sphere in the center. Held above the metal sphere, an oblong, greenish, turquoise gem, probably as tall as Duna was, smelled and sounded like the source of the strong, ancient feeling power that permeated the room.

Then Farkas heard a click from the observation deck and had to jump backwards as all of the jewel-holding metal arms above him began to move.

"Hey! Watch it," he complained looking up at Duna.

"Sorry," she called back sheepishly, "I found a button..."

"Don't go pushin' random buttons!" Farkas scolded in exasperation as he climbed up the ramp toward her. He paused when he saw her simply staring apologetically down at him... her posture was that of a scared rabbit again...

Farkas took a deep breath. "Sorry," he added, "this place must be gettin' to me," he realized, "I almost sounded like Vilkas there..."

"Yeah... you kinda did..." Duna agreed. Her expression was somewhere between a smirk and a grimace and it made Farkas sigh sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said again, "I'm just ready to be outta here..."

"I am too," Duna sighed, stepping forward to give him a hug.

Farkas wrapped his arms around her and took a deep breath, taking comfort in her familiar scent. He was tired. There was no way to know the time of day in Blackreach, but Farkas felt like they'd been running and fighting for at least an entire day, he wouldn't have been surprised if it had been two.

After a moment he leaned back gently to look at her...

Duna looked as tired as he felt, and her warpaint was smudged with sweat, grime, and flecks of blood, but she smiled lovingly up at him. They just held each other's gaze for a moment, and Farkas could see she was feeling the same things he was... she was exhausted, she was worried about him, and she was relieved they were together. Farkas felt a little warmer inside as he realized he could read those emotions so clearly in her expression now.

"I'd like to kiss you," she whispered with a smirk, "but we're both disgusting right now."

"Agreed," Farkas chuckled, "on both accounts."

He gently pressed his forehead to hers for a moment instead and then reached up to tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ears.

"Let's push some random buttons," he suggested with a tired smile.

Duna leaned back in and gave him an extra squeeze around the middle before she let him go and they turned their attention to the series of buttons on the platform before them.

There were four of them, all of which moved either the metal sphere on the ground or the gem-holding arms above. At certain angles the gems up top reflected strange beams of light about the chamber. Button after button... the ancient contraption moved and creaked, and then moved and creaked some more... then one of the buttons went dark...

"I wonder if that means I'm getting somewhere or if we're out of chances..." Duna mumbled thoughtfully...

Farkas just shrugged.

"I'll just go with my gut..." Duna decided before she set back to pressing the next button.

The contraption kept moving... then the next button went dark and Duna moved on to the third...

Several button presses (that Farkas didn't pay close attention to) later, something deep within the contraption clicked and more things began moving. The large gem up in the center of the ceiling moved down, and Farkas watched cautiously as it rotated to its side and then split open...

"That's it," Duna said looking excitedly down at the thing the gem contained. Before Farkas could stop her, she jumped clear over the buttons and the railing and dropped all the way down to the metal sphere below.

Farkas sighed as he heard her swear quietly at the impact and quickly cast her healing spell. He hurried down the ramp to meet her as she walked cautiously up to the now open gem.

The Elder Scroll (Farkas assumed the thing he was looking at couldn't possibly be anything else) was a large scroll in a white and gold cylinder, with intricately carved handles and purple gems... it smelled even more ancient than Parthunax...

Farkas just stared as Duna gingerly lifted it... it was nearly as big as his great sword, Farkas noticed in surprise.

Duna spent several moments just looking it over in amazement.

"So... now we just need to bring this back to the Throat of the World and I can learn Dragon Rend from the ancient Nords..." she mumbled thoughtfully before finally looking back up at him.

"That's what Parthunax said," Farkas shrugged.

Duna nodded and yawned. "But first..." she paused and looked around, "you think this is a good place to camp?"

"Probably best we're gonna find," Farkas said looking around the strange chamber as well. He wasn't keen on staying longer than they had to, but sleep definitely sounded wonderful. The passageway they'd opened to get down there seemed to only open for the little Dwemer contraption that Duna carried... it wasn't the most comfortable, but it should be safe.

Duna situated the massive scroll into her enchanted gear pack while Farkas got out his bedroll. They put Duna's bedroll and a few of their animal pelts down for padding in back of the passageway that wrapped around the sphere. Farkas found one of his rags he used for scrubbing off his warpaint and they managed to get out of their armor and clean up at least a bit. Then, finally, they snuggled up together in Farkas's bedroll and dozed off quickly.

But as exhausted as they were, Farkas slept fitfully. The normally peaceful sleep he'd come to enjoy with his mate in his arms was repetitively interrupted by dreams or nightmares that were hazy and hard to remember upon waking... by the time Duna woke Farkas could only remember that his dreams had all involved Hircine... and in every one Farkas had been listening to him argue with someone... and he was angry...

Groggily Farkas sat up and rubbed his eyes, making an even bigger mess of his warpaint than normal as he tried to put the dreams out of his mind. Who cared if Hircine was angry? They had bigger problems to deal with.

He had no idea if it was morning, but they'd slept enough hours to be awake and feeling rested. Or at least Duna felt rested... Farkas was rested _enough_.

Farkas was not excited at the prospect of trekking all that way back across Blackreach to find the exit. So he didn't mind when Duna wanted to explore the set of doors she found underneath the observation deck...

To their surprise, it led to a long corridor that led to a platform with a lever... Farkas was about to advise Duna not to try it, but then he caught a whiff of slightly fresher air... he stood close as she pulled the lever and the platform began to rise.

For several tense minutes Farkas stood on guard as the clanking gears slowly carried them upward. Then they were met with a blast of icy air and bright sunlight as the platform rose to the top of an old Dwemer tower.

They both squinted in the bright light of late afternoon up in a ice-covered mountain range.

Blinking, Duna slowly opened the metal gate that lead out to the snow-covered slopes, and Farkas stayed close beside her, listening and smelling for trouble.

"Where in Oblivion are we?" Duna asked in confusion.

Farkas took several moments to adjust to the bright light, but then he looked out at the surrounding mountains... "don't know," he grunted, "looks like a different mountain range than the one we entered at..." he noticed. Farkas hadn't realized they'd covered that much distance underground.

Duna pulled her map out and began looking for landmarks... Farkas looked from the mountains around them back to the map as well... after several moments they guessed they were either just southeast of Dawnstar or slightly northeast of Windhelm.

"Divines we covered some ground..." Duna grumbled as they began to hike down the snowy slopes toward what looked like it would turn into a trail.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded.

The trail turned to the northwest and they both hoped that meant they were northeast of Windhelm and the northwest road would take them back to Winterhold, but by sunset Farkas was pretty sure they were actually heading for Dawnstar.

"I am _not_ sleeping in Dawnstar again," Duna grumbled with a sigh.

"No," Farkas agreed. He was about to point out that they'd only been up a few hours anyway, they could just walk through the night, but then a particularly cold wind whipped around them and Farkas realized he could smell more snow on the wind. "Could spend the night cleanin' up and relaxing at the inn though," he suggested, "don't have to sleep..." and he couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face.

Duna's grumpy expression softened at that idea, and she nodded thoughtfully. "We're still going to have to make that trek back to Winterhold for the horses though," she pointed out.

"Or we could hire the carriage in the morning," Farkas suggested.

"I forgot about the carriages..." Duna mumbled, looking lost in thought. "We can actually catch up on sleep in Winterhold before we head back to High Hrothgar..." she nodded a moment later.

Farkas smiled, he was looking forward to a hot meal and a hot bath almost as much as he was looking forward to the other things he had in mind for that night.

They made it into Dawnstar only a little after dark. Most of the patrons at the inn were tired and grumpy looking, but the innkeeper was happy to accept their coin and set them up with a private bath... and a few amenities that Farkas had never previously thought worth coin... he didn't even bat an eye at the price now. They started with a hearty stew for dinner while one or the innkeeper's helpers set up their bath.

Farkas was just finishing his second bowl of stew when the doors opened and a tired looking courier walked in. The courier delivered something to the young bard and another letter to another patron and then did a double take in Farkas's direction.

"I wasn't expecting to find you till I made for Winterhold tomorrow," he said casually pulling another letter from his satchel. "Your brother did at least warn me you might be difficult to find," he added as he handed Farkas the letter.

Farkas nodded his thanks and the courier took his leave.

Duna watched him curiously as he opened the letter. As he expected, Farkas recognized Vilkas's handwriting scrawled across the page.

_Dear Farkas,_

_I'm glad you're not wasting time, but I hope you're getting some time to enjoy being married. I also hope you're not doing anything stupid with that..._

_As for things here, several things have happened._

_I think I'm beginning to understand your point about the mate bond being based more on an emotional commitment than on physical actions... I'm finding myself more drawn to Lydia. When I wake in the night my beast doesn't call me to go hunt but to go find her._

_I still haven't physically done more than kiss her, but I have told her how much I enjoy her company. She's been helping me with research as of late instead of taking jobs for coin. I'm starting to believe I do actually love her. I still need to find the courage and opportunity to bring it up with her, but I suspect she wants me cured before she’d be willing to marry me. Its slight, but I can sense her unease when we speak about the beast blood._

_On that front, we've made some progress; Kodlak's discovered the origin of our curse. Only a few hundred years ago, a coven of witches tricked one of our Harbingers. So if we can figure out how to force them to release us, we may be cleansed._

_Skjor and Aela have been focusing their attention on the problem you ran into with the Silver Hand. So far they've uncovered two more fragments of Wuuthrad that the group had been hoping to bait us with._

_And lastly, the bit that might interest you most; Anska. That woman you met in a ruin with Duna, she finally came to us. She finished decrypting her scroll, it is exactly what she thought. She can prove that she is a direct descendant of Ysgramor. That scroll of hers was fascinating to read._

_Kodlak granted her request to stay with us. She's not much of a warrior, but she's offered to help Tilma cook and clean, and to aid us with her healing magic when needed. So far she actually gets along with everyone, she reminds me of you in that regard; she's kind-hearted and she likes to help._

_I also saw what you meant about her seeming familiar. I was certain I'd seen her before when she walked in, but she said she's never been to Whiterun. She said her mother still lives on their old farm south of Windhelm, but the name Ingska didn't sound familiar either. Maybe when you come home from saving the world we'll figure it out._

_Stay safe, and don't do anything stupid._

_Love,_

_Vilkas_


	54. Confusion, Doubt, Fear, and Confidence

Vilkas's letter gave Farkas a lot to think about...

...How would enjoying being married constitute doing something stupid?

...He hoped Lydia wouldn't leave Vilkas if it turned out they couldn't actually be cured...

...The Silver Hand plot made his blood boil...

...But as usual, Vilkas was right; the part that most peaked his interest was Anska.

He was glad she had finally made it to Jorrvaskr, and that Vilkas agreed that she seemed familiar... but it bothered that they hadn’t figured out _why_ she seemed familiar... the name Ingska didn't sound remotely familiar.  
It was completely possible he and Vilkas had done some simple job for her as whelps... Farkas certainly wasn't the type who would have remembered the woman's name anyway... but he couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't it.

But before he could think too long on that, Farkas's attention drifted to another matter in the letter; Anska could prove she was definitely an _heir of Ysgramor_...

...and... Duna had an older brother...

There were _other_ heirs the gods could toy with to fulfill that prophesy that Ulfric and Vilkas had been so worried about.

That thought alone put Farkas in such a good mood he briefly forgot about how miserable their last forty eight hours had been.

Of course he remembered again as soon as they got into the room for their private bath and he began peeling his grimy armor off. It was a relief to settle his aching body into a hot bath beside Duna, but it was hard not to think of Falmer when scrubbing the dried remnants of Falmer blood off of himself...

Normally he would have felt terrible getting into a bath with her while he was so disgusting, but she was definitely just as filthy as he was, and this way they could help each other scrub.

Their bath was lukewarm by the time they were finished cleaning themselves and their armor, and their rinse water was cold by the time they got to it. It took several rinses before they could both be called clean, but at least they didn't smell like Falmer or glowing fungus anymore.

It was well past midnight by the time they made it to the room they'd rented, but they weren't planning on sleeping anyway.

Duna teasingly ordered Farkas to lay on the bed, and to his delight, she began massaging his back and working the knots out of his stiff muscles... she also found several spots where he'd gotten a new scar from a Falmer arrow, or one of those jagged swords, or the damn creepy axes.

But it didn't take long for her hands running along his body to make him forget everything but her... Farkas decided he needed to learn to give massages one of these days so he could return the favor... but in the meantime, he found other ways to return the favor, and the rest of that night was spent in the best way Farkas could think of after a long journey and a tough battle.

By the time the sun rose they needed a wash again, but that was easy to accomplish in the standard inn washroom. They got some breakfast and then hired the carriage to take them to Winterhold.

The carriage stuck to the road and was much slower than they would have been even on foot, but riding meant they could cuddle up together with their cloaks and a few of their animal pelts and relax. While they rode through the snow, Farkas told Duna his thoughts about Anska and a possible other heir of Talos. Duna told him it would certainly take divine intervention to get her brother out of Cyrodiil and even meeting Anska, but it was a possibility. Her brother, Harold, was about fifteen years older than Duna, but she still thought he might like Anska if he actually came to Skyrim and adapted to a more Nordic way of life... it was a long shot for sure, but Duna seemed just as happy as Farkas was with the idea she didn't have to be the heir of Talos for at least that prophesy.

They spent the rest of the ride discussing their plan for the next day; they'd need to start at dawn, ride hard, and likely continue past dark, but they should be able to make it to Ivrastead, then they could set off up the mountain the morning after that.

Once that was sorted they settled back into more relaxing conversation and Duna told him more about her life in Cyrodiil... about Harold, about Laeka, about her father. Farkas still thought it would be nice to meet Laeka one day, and her brother didn't sound as bad as he'd originally thought from Duna's first few stories, but he still wasn't sure he'd be able to be pleasant if he ever met her father.

They arrived in Winterhold by dinner time and Duna at least was tired enough to be ready to settle in for the night. Even though they still hadn't slept, Farkas was restless from sitting in a carriage all day. However, he made no complaints about going straight to the Frozen Hearth; they'd have a long ride tomorrow and he wanted Duna to be well rested for it.

To Farkas's excitement, once they got to their room, her scent as she undressed told him she wasn't quite ready to just sleep... Farkas was thrilled to relieve some of his pent up energy before she dozed off in his arms.

His nightmares that night were a little more vivid... Hircine was arguing with Talos... and with Ysgramor... and then with Akatosh himself...

In the morning Farkas couldn't remember what the arguments were about, but he had a feeling it had to do with him somehow, and it made him considerably uncomfortable.

"You ok?" Duna's groggy voice pulled him from his thoughts suddenly.

"Hmm?" Farkas hadn't realized she was awake and his mind darted momentarily to other things as she stretched and repositioned herself against his bare chest.

"You look bothered," she yawned.

"Bad dreams," he shrugged, "beast blood's restless... Hircine's angry about somethin'," he explained.

"You think it's because Vilkas and Kodlak are looking for the cure?" Duna asked, propping herself up attentively.

"Might be," Farkas nodded... he hadn't thought of that... that could explain things... at least sort of...

He described what little he could remember of his dream to her and she frowned thoughtfully when he was done.

"Well they _could_ be arguing about the Companions being cured," she shrugged at last, "but I don't see why he'd be arguing with Talos and Akatosh if that was it..." she added thoughtfully.

"Yeah..." Farkas nodded, that was what was bothering him... he felt like it had more to do with him specifically...

What if Talos and Akatosh were arguing with Hircine because Farkas had married Duna? Did her being his mate give Hircine any kind of claim on her too? Had Farkas unknowingly doomed her soul to Hircine's Hunting Ground? What if he really had messed up her destiny?

No. Farkas shook his head. He was overthinking again, he realized. Duna wasn't just his mate, he reminded himself, she was his wife. They had Mara's blessing, and that felt right... he refused to believe that it wasn't their destiny to fall in love... he refused to think that he hadn't been supposed to marry her.

Kodlak had always advised them to pay attention to things like dreams and gut feelings, but not to put too much stock in them. Farkas took another deep breath.

"Maybe it was just a dream," he shrugged.

"Maybe..." she nodded uncertainly, "maybe you're just stressed?"

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, that had to be it; he was tired, and worried. This was why he left the overthinking to Vilkas, it didn't do him any good. "And anyway," he added as he pushed the dreams and doubts from his mind, "we got other things to worry about today."

"We do," Duna agreed sighing as she slumped back against his chest. For a moment she just seem to enjoy laying against him and Farkas slowly ran his hand from her lower thigh, up to her round bottom... over the curve of her hip... he made it to her mid-back before she sighed tiredly and shifted to climb slowly off of him, smiling regretfully at him as she did.

He immediately missed the warmth of having her pressed against him, but he took the opportunity to admire the sight of her body for a moment instead as she began to get dressed.

"And you're sure Dapple and Boy will be able to handle an all day hard ride like this?" She asked in concern while she wrapped her breast-band, unaware of his admiring gaze.

"Should," Farkas said with a slight groan as he rolled over to climb out of bed as well. "Skyrim horses are bred for that in general," he explained, "carrying Nords, and their gear... from one end of Skyrim to the other," Farkas continued as he got his loincloth and pants on.

Duna hummed and nodded as she finished dressing. Then she began digging in her gear pack for her things to bring to the washroom.

"Oh," she exclaimed, suddenly pulling something much larger than her hairbrush from her gear pack, "I completely forgot I'd grabbed one of these for you!"

Farkas cocked his head at her in confusion as she turned to him with a hideous black staff that had what looked to be the head and pinching mouthparts of the Falmer's awful giant bugs at the top of it...

"It's one of the staffs they were throwing lightning bolts with," Duna explained, "you do so well with the fireball staff, I thought you might like a lightning one too."

"Huh," Farkas nodded as she handed him the staff. He looked curiously at the strange, dead, green eyes on the face of the insect head... "lightning..." he muttered thoughtfully...

"Lightning is especially useful against mages," Duna added, "it drains their magica."

"Now that, I like," Farkas grinned.

The staff was ugly, but it certainly sounded like it could be useful. He tucked it into his own gear pack and Duna smiled at him as she picked up her armor.

Before she could get to the door, Farkas turned back to her and grabbed her for a quick hug and kiss.

"Thanks love," he smiled when their lips parted.

She smiled beautifully up at him, "you're welcome, my love."

She gave him another quick kiss before pulling away and heading out to the washroom. Farkas threw his shirt on, grabbed his armor, and followed her.

They had a quick but hearty breakfast before heading out. Dapple and Boy were definitely excited to see them. Even Boy, who usually didn't have a care in the world, seemed high spirited as they took off at a gallop down the south road.

It was a long day and a hard ride, as they'd expected, but they only had a couple disruptions, like a pack of wolves or an occasional saber cat in the road. They managed to make it to Ivrastead just after midnight.

Farkas was tired enough from riding all day that he mostly slept soundly this time. He still woke the next morning with some vague memory of a dream similar to the ones he'd had the last two nights, but he remembered even fewer details, so he didn't mention it as they got ready for their hike up the mountain.

The snow had now covered what was left of the Thalmor bodies, but they did see the occasional glint of elven armor sticking through the snow as they passed the spot where they'd been ambushed. Farkas was pretty sure he was imagining it, but he thought the place still smelled like blood. At least the dead frost troll wasn't still in the path... and they didn't find anymore ice-wraiths.

The Greybeards hardly seemed to notice their arrival. Farkas could hear and smell that all four of the old men were inside... breathing very slowly, almost like sleep, but not quite... Farkas assumed they were meditating... or whatever it was they did...

Duna didn't waste time looking for them and headed straight out the back doors.

"They'll probably just be grumpy when I tell them I'm still trying to learn Dragon Rend," Duna told him once they got outside.

Farkas just nodded, remembering Master Arngeir's temper the last time she'd asked about it.

Duna began shouting the path clear and they steadily made their way up to the top of the mountain... back into the freezing, thin air.

"You have it. The Kel - the Elder Scroll," Paarthunax said, ruffling his wings excitedly as they approached. "Tood kreh... qalos. Time shudders at its touch," the old dragon declared in an awed voice. "There is no question. You are doom-driven. Kogaan Akatosh. The very bones of the earth are at your disposal. Go then. Fulfill your destiny. Take the Scroll to the Time-Wound..." Farkas thought Paarthunax sounded excited or proud now, but then... "Do not delay," Paarthunax warned, "Alduin will be coming. He cannot miss the signs."

"Wait, what?" Duna paused and looked up from trying to pull the scroll from her pack. "You think he'll come here? Now?"

"Indeed..." the old dragon nodded, "vosaraan, quickly, Dovakiin... you will need Dragon Rend to face him."

Farkas pulled out both staffs and nervously readied himself, as Duna pulled out the large scroll and stepped into the eerie shimmering patch of air that Paarthunax had called the time wound. She opened the Elder Scroll and seemed to go into a trance.

Farkas didn't like this... he made sure his mace was easily accessible on his belt... he thought they were just supposed to learn the shout Duna needed today... were they actually ready to defeat Alduin?

Farkas wasn't sure either of them were ready to fight at their best up in this thin air...

Whether they were or not, Farkas suddenly realized he recognized the smell of the ancient black dragon coming on the wind...

Paarthunax took to the sky as Alduin flew into view.

Farkas listened uncomfortably as the two dragons yelled at each other. Farkas couldn't understand most of their words, but he got the gist of it... this was about to be a fight... possibly _the_ fight...

Farkas could feel his wolf spirit stirring uncomfortably in his chest at the sight of Alduin... just like the last time he'd seen the huge black dragon, he just wanted to grab his mate and run... but he took a deep breath (both to calm himself and to try and get more oxygen) and forced himself to stand firm. If this was the destiny Duna had to face, he would face it with her.

Duna came back from her trance with a gasp while the two dragons were still circling each other in the sky.

"Get ready for a fight," he warned, holding both staffs in one hand so he could place a steadying hand on her back for a moment.

"Farkas, stay clear of his head," she gasped desperately as she scrambled to put the scroll away, "he's got more reach than the other dragons. Do as much from a distance as you can," she advised frantically.

"Alright," he agreed as she summoned her bow. He could hear her heart racing, she smelled of fear... the way she looked pleadingly at him as she warned him to keep his distance made him suspect she'd learned more than just another shout when she read that scroll...

"And watch out for the rocks, he's probably going to shout flaming rocks down at—"

She was cut off as Alduin's shout shook the mountain. Moments later, flaming boulders rained from the sky.

Farkas retaliated with fire and lightning from each staff simultaneously, and he heard Duna loose her first arrow...

Neither staff seemed to have any effect on Alduin. He didn’t seem to even notice the fire or lightning that clearly struck his sides and wings. He even ignored Duna’s arrows as well and just rained more flaming boulders down at them.

Farkas was far too stubborn to back down, but he was starting to worry that this didn’t look like a fight they could win... until Alduin swooped in closer, and Duna let loose a thundering shout of "JOOR ZAH FRUL," and Alduin crashed to mountain top before them.

This changed things... Duna’s arrows actually pierced into the black scales now, and Farkas could sense Alduin’s confidence waining into concern.

Farkas grinned as he grabbed his mace, it was time to see what Duna’s wedding present would do against the World Eater...


	55. What Next?

There wasn't a very long list of things Farkas hated... a relatively long list of things or people he _disliked_, but he tried not to give most things enough thought or attention to actually _hate_...

...Necromancers... frostbite spiders... that was pretty much it...

...until now... now added that list was also Alduin.

Despite the confidence Farkas had originally charged in with, the fight was frustrating at best.

He had headed Duna's warnings... paying careful attention to avoid the dragon's head and tail, darting back frequently to use one of the staffs, but he also found that his dragon bone mace had devastating effects on Alduin's scales. If he could have just gotten a few more hits in... maybe broken one of Alduin’s wings... the fight wouldn’t have been so frustrating...

Duna had amazed him... she kept up a near consistent barrage of arrows into every weak point he created in Alduin’s scales, all while running and dodging the falling boulders... 

Any other dragon wouldn’t have stood a chance. Farkas could tell Alduin was tiring, and then, with a final shout that had nearly thrown Farkas off the mountain, Alduin had collapsed, breathing heavily, to the mountain top.

Farkas tried to get back up and rush the downed dragon, but something about the last shout the damn dragon had used made all of his movements slow, and he couldn't attack.

Alduin conceded that they were in fact strong, but then, rather smugly, he also told them he couldn't be defeated here. Then he'd taken to the air and vanished into the distance before the damned slowing effect wore off.

Farkas growled in frustration, but Duna didn't seem surprised, just tired. Farkas hurried to her side as she dropped her helmet into the snow. Duna slouched into his embrace as she began to cast her healing spell on both of them. Farkas just held her in the swirl of gold light, while he smelled the adrenaline leaving her and the warm, honey scent of the magic flowing into them both.

Farkas might have been imagining it, but it felt like her magic restored some of his energy as well... like he'd drank a small stamina potion along with a massive healing potion. He suddenly felt drastically better.

Gods he loved her magic...

Wait...

Farkas suddenly realized how contrary that thought was to any he would have had before meeting Duna...

He still didn't like magic in general, but everything about Duna was a different matter...

As the spell faded she wrapped her arms around him and let out a relieved sounding sigh.

"You ok?" Farkas asked. It felt like a dumb question, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

"Yeah," she sighed, tucking her face against his shoulder. She smelled a little singed but now uninjured Farkas noted as he listened to her heartbeat... "the scroll showed me a vision," she explained a moment later. "I saw the ancient Nords fight him back when they used the scroll to banish him. They all looked so strong and confident, but I saw Alduin grab and throw one of them like a rag doll, and I was so worried that was going to be you next..."

That explained her frantic warning when she came to, Farkas thought. "Might 've been if you hadn't warned me," he admitted, before placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"One of them also said Alduin can't be slain like a lesser dragon," she added, "I'm not sure how we're going to do this..."

Farkas's brow furrowed at that thought... it made sense, but if they couldn't even slay him with that new shout, how were they going to do this?

Farkas's thoughts were quickly interrupted when Paarthunax landed beside them.

"Lot krongrah. You truly have the Voice of a dovah," the old dragon praised Duna with what Farkas had come to recognize as a smile, "Alduin's allies will think twice after this victory."

"Not sure it was much of a victory," Duna sighed.

Paarthunax said something in the dragon language that Farkas didn't understand before continuing, "...True, this is not the final krongah - victory. But not even the heroes of old were able to defeat Alduin in open battle..."

Farkas felt like it had been more of a stalemate than a victory, but he supposed simply still being alive after an encounter with the World Eater was a kind of victory on its own... and Paarthunax made a good point. If this would loose him the support of his allies, then it really was a victory.

Farkas just listened as Duna and Paarthunax discussed what was next...

He had never imagined there was anything to the old stories of Dragonsreach housing a dragon. He and Vilkas had always assumed the skull that hung over the Jarl's throne was an artist's creation, commissioned by some Jarl generations prior... but now that he had seen several real dragon skulls in person, Farkas realized the skull in Dragonsreach probably actually was real...

Which meant Paarthunax's suggestion of using Dragonsreach to trap one of Alduin's allies would probably work... though, Duna was quick to point out that the current Jarl might not be excited with this plan... but at least they had a plan...

The fight at that altitude had certainly taken a lot out of them. They were so tired by the time they made it back to Ivrastead, they opted to wash in the morning, and had just gone to bed.

Farkas was too tired to remember any dreams, and the morning simply found him a little stiff, but otherwise comfortable with his wife cuddled against his chest.

It put him in a good mood and their morning was mercifully uneventful. They got lunch in Riverwood, and made it to Whiterun by that afternoon.

As they entered the gates Farkas was suddenly struck with the realization that this was their first time coming home since their wedding.

He had walked through the streets of Whiterun holding hands with Duna more than once before... but something about the fact that he was now walking through the street holding hands with his wife made it different.

He felt pride swelling in his chest every time a guard recognized them... they were greeted with polite nods of "hail Companions," or "Dragonborn," ...and one guard, who Farkas suspected was one who'd been at their first dragon fight greeted them as they passed the market with, "heard about your wedding, my congratulations to both of you."

Farkas couldn't stop grinning... his mind began running through the changes this would mean at Jorrvaskr... she wouldn't be sleeping in the common room tonight, and no one could question their honor because of it.

"Happy to be home?" Duna smirked at him as they reached the steps up toward the Gildergreen.

"I am," he nodded. "Thinkin' I need to get a bigger bed for my room now that it's _our_ room," he added with a smirk of his own.

"Mmm," Duna nodded, "and I'll need to move my random junk from the common room dresser."

"And tell Njada you didn't break your hips..." Farkas chuckled.

Duna let out a frustrated snort and rolled her eyes at that. "I swear, if she says a word to me, I might steal Torvar's hammer and break one of her hips..."

Farkas chuckled, "that's a brawl I wanna see," he grinned, "'bout time someone took her down a notch."

"I'm not kidding, I really might get in a fight when we get in there," Duna said seriously, stopping to look up at him before they walked up the steps.

"I know," Farkas chuckled.

Duna smirked at that began to turn back toward the steps, but then stopped suddenly. "You think it might be better to go see the Jarl first?" She asked, seeming as though the thought had suddenly occurred to her.

"Might be," Farkas nodded thoughtfully... he was eager to get home, but that meant he wouldn't want to head back out that evening once they got there.

"Though I still have no idea how I'm going to start that conversation..." Duna sighed looking uncomfortably up at the palace.

"Hey, I need to trap a dragon in your palace," Farkas suggested with a shrug.

Duna giggled, "I'm sure _that_'ll go over well..."

Farkas chuckled too. "Don't think beatin’ around the bush would go better," he shrugged again, "Balgruuf's a Nord, be blunt with him."

"You really think so?" Duna raised her eyebrow at him skeptically.

"I mean, also tell him _why_ we need to trap a dragon in his palace, but yeah."

"Alright, I guess let's head to Dragonsreach then," Duna said with a tired sigh.

Dragonsreach seemed to be business as usual... the large hearth was burning brightly, the steward and the housecarl were up by the throne on either side of the Jarl...

The Dunmer leaned in and whispered something to Balgruuf who nodded and looked toward them as they approached.

"What can I do for Dragonborn?" Balgruuf asking with a respectful smile.

"I need your help," Duna began earnestly, "I need to trap a dragon in your palace."

Farkas had to stifle a laugh at the look of shocked confusion that spread across the Jarl's face as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I must have misheard you," Balgruuf said shaking his head with a nervous chuckle, "I thought you asked me to help you trap a dragon in my palace."

"No you heard me," Duna nodded firmly, "it's the only way we've got to get to Alduin before it's too late."

"Alduin? You mean the World-Eater himself?" Balgruuf sat up a little straighter, fear obvious in his eyes now. "But... Doesn't his return mean it's the end times?"

"Unless I stop him," Duna replied grimly, "which is why I need your help to trap one of his allies."

Balgruff exchanged an uncomfortable look with his housecarl and then with his steward. "I _want_ to help you, Dragonborn," he began uncomfortably, "but Ulfric and General Tullius are both just waiting for me to make a wrong move. Do you think they will sit idle while a dragon is slaughtering my men and burning my city?"

"We're not talking about letting a dragon slaughter your men," Duna replied with a pleading tone, "we're talking about beating a dragon into submission and making it tell me how to beat Alduin."

"Aye, and if that goes wrong, my city falls!" Balgruuf snapped.

"If the world ends your city falls too," Duna shot back.

"I know, but..." Balgruuf paused looking even more uncomfortable. "There has to be another way," he shook his head, "I can't risk weakening the city while we are under threat of enemy attack..."

Coward, Farkas thought grumpily.

Duna looked uncertainly back at Farkas before turning back to Balgruuf.

"What if you didn't have to worry about an enemy attack?" She asked slowly.

"Then... I would be happy to help you," Balgruuf replied, sounding a little suspicious, "but as long as the war's going on I can't let my guard down..."

Duna took a deep breath, and Farkas could smell her uncertainty along with the Jarl’s fear in the air...

"So we need to end the war... or at least get them to call a truce..." Duna said slowly.

"Aye," Balgruuf nodded, sounding surprised but still hesitant... "but getting both sides to agree to a truce will be difficult at this point... the bitterness has gone too deep," the Jarl added with another shake of his head.

Farkas figured that was true... they'd already spoken to Ulfric about the war and that hadn't gone remotely how Duna had hoped... and Farkas wasn't excited about the idea of going back to Windhelm... but then General Tullius had been in charge when Duna had been nearly executed along with Ulfric, so he was even less keen on trying to talk to him...

"Unless..." the Jarl said thoughtfully, pulling Farkas from his thoughts, "what of the Greybeards? They are respected by all Nords... High Hrothgar is neutral territory..."

"If I could get the Greybeards to hold the peace talks..." Duna interjected, clearly seeing where the Jarl was going with this train of thought.

"Ulfric and Tullius would _have_ to listen," Balgruuf concluded, actually looking a little excited at this possibility.

Duna glanced back at Farkas again... Farkas wasn't sure what to make of this idea... it sounded plausible to him, but he still didn't know much about how politics worked... he shrugged.

"Alright," Duna said, turning back to the Jarl, "I'll talk to Arngeir about hosting a peace council... and then you'll help me trap a dragon?"

"Aye, Dragonborn," Balgruuf nodded, "if you can stop this war, I'll be happy to help you with your mad dragon trapping scheme."

Farkas heard the housecarl give a quiet snort and he thought Balgruuf sounded slightly dishonest... not like he was specifically lying... but Farkas was pretty sure the Jarl didn't actually expect them to be able to stop the war... he clearly hoped they would, but he didn't expect it...

That observation made Farkas determined that they would...  
...If Duna had to shout Ulfric off his feet the way Ulfric had supposedly shouted down the high king, they would get this war to stop...  
...And let Tulius try to execute her now... Farkas would rip his throat out himself...

Completely unaware of Farkas's observations and angry thoughts, Duna was politely thanking the Jarl, and promising to let him know when it had all been arranged. She met his gaze as she turned to leave, and Farkas saw her raise an eyebrow at him before he turned to follow her out of the palace.

"What is it?" She asked as soon as they made it out to the walkway.

Farkas grunted. "He doesn't think we can do it," he explained with a low hint of a growl.

"I mean, I'm not sure we can either," Duna sighed tiredly, "but I don't think we have a choice..."

"We can," Farkas replied confidently, "you're smart and I'm stubborn. We'll make 'em listen."

Duna smiled and reached down to take his hand. "Divines, I'm happy to have you... you know that?" Her genuine, appreciative smile made Farkas's heart skip happily.

"Me too, love," he grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a “setting up for future events” chapter.
> 
> Sorry I missed last week’s update. There was a hurricane. We’re all ok, but there’s a pretty big mess to clean up so I have no idea what my writing and editing schedule is going to look like for a while...  
But rest assured, the family and I are alive, so I’ll still be writing. This story is fully outlined and planned, so hopefully won’t be too delayed.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who’s commented and left kudos, I appreciate it. :)


	56. Memories

Their return to Jorrvaskr had been met with cheers and congratulations, and Tilma promising an impromptu feast.

Unfortunately Farkas and Duna were too tired to do a whole lot of celebrating, and they ended up spending most of the afternoon in Kodlak's study telling him and Vilkas about their plans to set up a peace council. Kodlak didn't like having any involvement in the war, but he agreed there didn't seem to be much choice. At least he approved of the neutral stance they'd be maintaining.

Vilkas was worried about the Thalmor attempting to intervene in the peace talks, and/or come after Duna again, and Duna figured it was a likely possibility. Farkas just had another reason to be glad he'd be going with her.

It was dinner time by the time they made it back upstairs, and Tilma had clearly kept her promise... and the whelps were getting started without them.

Skjor and Aela were out on a mission, but everyone else was there. Vilkas had quietly hinted to Farkas that he thought Skjor and Aela were out retrieving another fragment of Wuuthrad, and Farkas was impressed by the number of fragments now on display in the hall... it seemed to be a bit of a secret matter so Farkas didn't ask any more, instead turning his attention to the other Companions...

Anska and Lydia both seemed to have settled in well... he'd expected that of Lydia, but despite Vilkas's letter, Anska surprised him a little. It was strange to see new people interacting so comfortably with his family... it made Farkas realize just how much he'd been away lately...

He decided not to think too hard on that... decided to just be happy that his family was growing... and he liked Anska, though it still bothered him that he couldn't figure out why.

Over dinner Farkas told the story about the dragon that had knocked him through the ice and how that had resulted in him proposing to Duna. He didn't want to tell the stories of either of their last two dragon fights...

Then Anska told them all the story of how Duna and Farkas had stumbled upon her in the old dragon priest tomb and helped her finally find the scroll that proved her family line's connection to Ysgramor.

Farkas was a little surprised Anska had picked up as much details as she had about them... Duna just sighed and rolled her eyes as Anska told them how grumpy the Dragonborn had been, destroying everything in their path and then almost took on the dragon priest by herself. Farkas chuckled, and regarded his wife curiously... he never did really figure out what had made her so angry that day... at the time he was just so happy she'd calmed down he was happy to let it go. He wondered if he dared bring it up again... she didn't look angry about it now... maybe a little embarrassed as Anska's description got several chuckles from around the table... (and a scoff from Njada.)

"I was grumpy because I was afraid we wouldn't have time to get to an inn before dark," Duna explained with a good natured laugh. Farkas immediately noticed she was putting on an act... he saw Vilkas glance sideways at him from his seat on the other side of Lydia, but Farkas was sure everyone else believed her.

Then Duna told them all about Blackreach and of the countless Falmer they'd faced. Farkas noticed Vilkas looked impressed as he could probably tell she was being truthful now.

Farkas couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed that Njada didn't try to pick a fight when Duna retrieved her things... he wanted to see Duna take the damn woman down, but he also figured Duna would be much better prepared for having that brawl after getting some rest...

Duna got her things moved into his room without trouble... and that was when Farkas realized one complaint he'd have about living at Jorrvaskr once they were done with the dragons... Jorrvaskr's bath chamber was divided into men's and women's chambers, but there was no private bath he could enjoy with his wife...

Duna giggled sympathetically at him when he voiced his complaint.

"We'll just have to make the most of getting back to the bed when we're done," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek before she turned toward the door.

"Don't get in a fight in there," he warned uncomfortably. The bath chamber would not be a good place for a brawl, and not just because Farkas wouldn’t be able to watch it...

"I'll have Lydia and Anska to back me up if Njada's that stupid," Duna smirked.

"That's good," Farkas smiled... but at the mention of Anska he remembered his curiosity from earlier that evening, and he decided it was getting the better of him... he did dare... "speakin’ of Anska though...” he began slowly, “why were you _really_ so mad the first time we met her?"

Duna froze and Farkas heard her pulse kick up in... was that embarrassment?

"I... uh..." she slowly turned back to face him, an adorable blush across her cheeks... "well... that was back when I was just figuring out how I felt about you... and I wasn't sure how you felt about me... and... well... y-you were paying so much attention to Anska all of a sudden... just turning around to stare at her the whole way through the crypt... I... uh..." Duna trailed off blushing a little darker and Farkas just blinked in surprise.

"You were jealous?" He asked, trying not grin at that thought.

"I was jealous," she admitted with a grumble.

Farkas couldn't help the quiet chuckle that escaped him at that. "You never had anything to be jealous of," he smiled, reaching forward to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I know that now," she smiled back, "I realized how stupid I was being when you ran in and hugged me after the fight with Vokun."

"You scared the shit out of me with that," Farkas sighed, shaking his head.

Duna giggled at that and stepped closer and up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. "I could tell," she smirked, "I could also tell you _might_ have been thinking of kissing me...?”

Farkas chuckled and let his hands settle on her hips... “I was,” he admitted, leaning down to kiss her again.

“Sorry I didn't have the guts to let you back then,” she added a little sheepishly.

“All made up for now, love,” Farkas replied with a warm smile.

“Good,” Duna smirked, “but when I get back from washing up, I’m going to keep making up for it.” She gave him one more quick kiss before turning back to the door.

“Won’t complain about that,” Farkas chuckled as he followed her out the door.

  
  


Farkas washed quickly and was out before Duna, but that didn't surprise him... he expected she’d probably get caught up talking to Lydia. He also wasn't surprised when he found Vilkas waiting for him in their shared hallway.

"Married life is treating you well I take it?" Vilkas asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Farkas grinned, taking a seat at the small table beside Vilkas. "I won't go into details, but..." he chuckled...

"I don't want details," Vilkas cut in with a laugh.

"...it's been... _good_," Farkas smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it," Vilkas smiled as well, "and you've been... _careful_... with that?" He asked raising an eyebrow uncertainly.

"Oh, yeah, we have," Farkas nodded, "I'm not doin' anything stupid."

"Good," Vilkas nodded, looking relieved. Farkas thought it was little strange that his brother was so worried about the possibility of him hurting Duna... but he supposed it would be pretty terrible if she failed to save the world because he injured her while making love... Farkas couldn't think of what else Vilkas could be so worried about.

"Yeah, don't worry," Farkas added. "Now what's new here? Anything new on how we make those witches let us go?"

"Nothing solid yet," Vilkas shook his head, sounding suddenly tired. "Kodlak has a hunch that if we can get into the tomb of Ysgramor we may find our answers though. He and Skjor have come to terms as of late though. Beast blood will no longer be required to join the Circle, but assuming we actually can be cured, those wishing to keep it will still be welcome among us."

Farkas grunted in surprise... that was a major development... Kodlak and Skjor had been at odds over the beast blood for years...

"Skjor and Aela have been hunting the fragments more fervently as of late so that we might be able to reforge the blade and enter the tomb of Ysgramor," Vilkas continued, "since you discovered the one fragment was a Silver Hand trap, they've found several more by raiding Silver Hand hideouts. If we're lucky, this could be the end of our curse and the Silver Hand as well."

Farkas just nodded... that certainly would be something... to be free of his beast blood... and for the Companions to be free of the werewolf hunters...

"Anska has also been pretty helpful, she happened across a lot of information about the Companions in her search for the scroll of Ysgramor's lineage," Vilkas added.

Farkas nodded again. "Figured out any more about Anska?" He asked curiously, "why's she so familiar?"

"Not... really..." Vilkas's brow furrowed in a way that told Farkas he had an idea but wasn't fully ready to voice it...

"What?" Farkas prodded.

"Well..." Vilkas began a little hesitantly, "it doesn't answer the question at hand, but... when I first saw her, I... thought I'd seen her before, but I expected her eyes to be a lighter color, a—"

"A light blue," Farkas interrupted in surprise. He had only mentioned in his letter that Anska had seemed familiar to him, he'd left out the specifics.

Vilkas just met his eyes in surprise for a moment. "Aye..." he said slowly, looking as if he'd just come to an uncomfortable conclusion. "So we must have met one of her relatives at some point in our lives," Vilkas said sounding bothered.

"And what's so wrong with that?" Farkas prodded in confusion.

"Possibly nothing," Vilkas replied, "but I had one thought... and I don't like it..." Vilkas paused looking like he was thinking very carefully before continuing, "Kodlak recognized her as well... he was almost as surprised as I was to see her, but he said she reminds him of his late wife. He asked her about it, but Anska had never heard the name Aylette before."

Farkas furrowed his brow at that... could she be related to Kodlak's wife? "That doesn't explain how we'd know her though," Farkas pointed out.

"It probably doesn't..." Vilkas shook his head, "but...Kodlak told me privately that his wife had an estranged younger sister who was a mage... a _necromancer_... the family wouldn't even speak her name..."

Farkas's skin crawled uncomfortably at that thought... "Anska's a mage..."

"Aye..." Vilkas nodded, "I haven't gotten the impression she delves at all into necromancy, but..."

"Her mother..." Farkas's brow furrowed more as he began to see where his brother was going with this train of thought.

"I haven't brought it up with Anska yet for fear of her answer," Vilkas nodded, "but her connection to Ysgramor is through her father... she told me he's dead, and she clearly didn't want to talk much about him..."

"You think her mother was a necromancer..." Farkas understood.

Vilkas just nodded, looking uncomfortable.

"...but that still doesn't explain why we'd recogn— oh..." Farkas felt an uncomfortable pit form in his stomach at that thought. "That's not it," he shook his head, "that can't be it."

"She said her mother is still out on their farm south of Windhelm, near Shor's Stone..." Vilkas continued, "and Kodlak told me Jergen found us in a necromancers' den... near Shor's Stone..."

Farkas just let that bit of information sink in for a moment... it fit... but at the same time it didn't... he wouldn't like Anska if that was it...

"That can't be it," Farkas shook his head again. "Jergen killed all those necromancers..."

"All that were there at the time..." Vilkas nodded grimly.

Farkas felt sick to his stomach at that implication... could one of them still be out there? "Anska couldn't be related to those monsters..."

"I don't think so either," Vilkas sighed, "it was just a connection I made, and as I said, I don't like it."

Farkas grunted in agreement and they settled into an uncomfortable silence for a moment. Then Vilkas spoke again.

"Brother..." he began hesitantly, "how much do you remember from before Jergen?"

"Not a lot," Farkas said with another shake of his head. This was not a topic they'd discussed much... neither of them had ever wanted to discuss it much... "I remember how we got this..." Farkas pointed to the scar on his face.

Vilkas's furrowed brow quirked into a slightly more confused expression, "I remember how I got mine, but..."

"They were... testing... something," Farkas explained with a grimace, "I think it was that awful potion... it made everything they did to you happen to me too..."

"That... that explains a few things," Vilkas shuddered and shook his head, "I don't remember any potions..." he sighed, "I just... I remember them holding me down and slowly carving into me with varying degrees of heated metal... but all the while I could hear you screaming..." Vilkas shuddered again and shook his head almost violently as if trying to shake memories from his head and Farkas put a hand on his shoulder. He hoped this conversation wasn't going to give both of them nightmares tonight... "Then they'd throw me back in that cage with both of us bleeding and crying..." Vilkas said with a dark expression.

"I remember Jergen slashing through their thralls and spells with his great sword..." Farkas added, trying to remember something more positive. "And him carryin' us both in one arm all the way back to Jorrvaskr..."

"I remember being told that was what happened," Vilkas sighed, "but I only actually remember the torture..."

"You mighta been unconscious when Jergen got there..." Farkas recalled vaguely.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "Kodlak said Jergen thought I was dead, but you refused to let go of me so he carried us both back to Jorrvaskr... they were all amazed when I came to."

Farkas swallowed. It was one of those details he hadn't remembered, but upon hearing it it sounded right. He squeezed Vilkas's shoulder and Vilkas brought his own hand up to rest heavily on Farkas's shoulder.

"He also said Jergen named us," Vilkas continued with a sigh as he dropped his hand, "neither of us spoke for months and once we did, we didn't know anything about who we were or where we came from."

Farkas nodded again, letting his own hand fall gently as well... that also made sense... "so we could 've come from anywhere..." he realized.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "do you have any memories from before the necromancers?"

"No," Farkas shook his head, "my earliest memory is in a cage with you."

Vilkas nodded thoughtfully. "I think I remember a fire..." he added several moments later. "I think my earliest memory is of a fire... and a woman screaming..."

Again Farkas had the uncomfortable feeling that it was a detail that sounded right...

"Have you brought any of it up with Anska?" Farkas asked.

"I haven't," Vilkas sighed. "I wanted to discuss it with you first... and I didn't want to think too hard on it."

"Well," Farkas sighed, "if that is why she's so familiar, we can't blame Anska for it."

"No," Vilkas sighed, still a little uncomfortably, "and I don't want to cause Kodlak more stress by bringing up the past right now."

"Alright," Farkas agreed, "but we should start asking questions once things settle down."

"We should," Vilkas nodded tiredly. He looked up at Farkas for a moment like he was about to say something but then shook his head and sighed.

"What?" Farkas prodded gently.

Vilkas shook his head again with a bitter sounding chuckle. "Just a thought," he sighed, "I wonder if that accounts for how different our personalities are..."

Farkas cocked his head in confusion.

"You see the good in things, because you remember our rescue," Vilkas explained in a low voice, "I just remember the torture... so I'm... well..." he gestured at himself with a sigh.

"Smarter and more cautious than me," Farkas supplied sympathetically.

"Pessimistic and more prone to anger..." Vilkas grumbled.

Farkas put his hand back on Vilkas's shoulder. "Maybe... but can you imagine what would've happened to me all these years if I didn't have my pessimistic brother to curb my foolish optimism?"

Vilkas chuckled a little less bitterly at that. "Aye, I suppose neither of us would have made it without the other."

"Yeah, and look at us now," Farkas smiled, "you're figurin' out how to cleanse the Companions... we're savin' the world from dragons..."

"_You're_ saving the world from dragons," Vilkas interrupted.

"You're hepin' though," Farkas shrugged, "I'd be dead from Thalmor without you."

"Fair enough," Vilkas nodded, a slight smile slowly forming on his face.

"And I fell for the Dragonborn and actually married her," Farkas continued with a grin, "and you've got Lydia..." he added, trailing off as he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"By Ysmir brother," Vilkas sighed, "I hope so..." he ran his hands down his face and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I still haven't brought it up with her... I know I need to, but I just don't think I can handle the heartbreak on top of everything else right now..."

"There you go again," Farkas shook his head, "assumin' the worst..." Farkas trailed off again, looking to the door as he suddenly realized Duna was not alone... and he quickly identified the scent of other freshly washed woman...

Vilkas suddenly inhaled sharply and looked out to the central hall with a start...

Standing there in the hall was Duna, and Lydia...

Duna was looking at them both in concern, and Lydia looked thoroughly startled by Vilkas's expression.

"I... was going to come tell you goodnight," Lydia explained slowly, "are you alright?"

Farkas looked from Vilkas to Lydia... the look on her face told him Vilkas probably wasn't in for heartbreak. The woman obviously cared for him, he just needed to tell her how he felt...

"I- I can just go back to—"

"Aye— no, I mean..." Vilkas interrupted her and then faltered.

"He's fine," Farkas cut in, as he got slowly to his feet looking from Lydia to Duna again. "We were just tryin' to figure stuff out, and had to talk about some bad memories," he explained bluntly, "we're both fine now, but," he looked meaningfully back to Lydia, "I think my brother has things to talk to you about now..." Farkas smirked and then almost laughed at the startled expression that flashed across Vilkas's face. "Go ahead," he chuckled, clapping Vilkas on the shoulder, "I'll see ya before we leave in the morning."

"A-alright brother," Vilkas sighed getting to his feet as well.

Farkas looked to his wife to see her concerned expression had shifted into a knowing smirk as she stepped forward and Farkas wrapped his arm around her waist.

As he and Duna turned to their door, Farkas heard Vilkas step toward Lydia...

"Lydia..." he began in a low voice.

"What do you need Vilkas?" She asked gently...

And Farkas shut his bedroom door to give them their privacy... he hoped Vilkas would be in a much better mood in the morning...


	57. More Nightmares, Distractions, And Decisions

Farkas woke with a start, completely unsurprised the conversation with his brother had brought back the nightmares he used to have as a child. There had been the fire, and the woman screaming, and the cage and the torture... then he'd been clinging to Vilkas's lifeless body while the man he thought was rescuing them tried to make him let go... Farkas hated feeling so terrified and helpless...

  
  


"Farkas..." Duna's gentle voice pulled him fully to consciousness... he seemed to have grabbed onto her in his sleep, and now she was sitting in his lap with her hands gently and soothingly running through his hair... "Farkas it's ok... you're ok..."

Farkas took a deep breath as Duna's hands gently cupped the sides of his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to burry his face into her hair. Duna kept her arms around him and went back to gently stroking his hair.

Gods he was glad to have been woken up like this... with the quick and obvious reminder that he was long passed all those horrors now... he wasn't that scared little boy, he was a Companion... he wasn't in a necromancer's cage, he was in his bed with his wife... and he wasn't holding his dying brother, he was holding Duna... his lovely, beautiful, powerful wife... and his brother was across the hall, very much alive.

Farkas had told Duna all the things he and Vilkas had discussed before they went to bed, and she didn't seem surprised or confused that she'd woken to him having a nightmare. He just held her for several moments as he calmed back down, trying to force the terrible images from his mind.

"Thanks, love," he whispered with another deep breath.

"You ok?" She asked quietly leaning back to look up into his eyes.

"Yeah," he sighed as she brought her hand back to gently cup the side of his face again, "am now at least."

"Do you need anything?" She asked, still looking worried.

"Nah," he shook his head, "we've got more important things to worry about in the morning, we should get more sleep."

"Not more important than you," Duna disagreed, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Farkas just smiled and pulled her back into a hug. "I love you," he said warmly.

"I love you too," she replied, and Farkas could hear the smile in her voice.

"_This_ is all I need," he assured her, giving her a little bit of a tighter hug.

"Alright," Duna smiled and kept her arms comfortingly around him.

Farkas dozed back off as Duna continued to soothingly run her fingers through his hair... but once again, sleep did not bring him peace... Hircine's angry, growling voice fighting with Ysgramor filled his dreams...

This time he remembered a few distinct lines like Hircine yelling that someone belonged to him... Ysgramor angrily telling Hircine that it was time for him to get his damn claws off of his legacy... Talos yelling at Hircine not to touch his heirs... and as Farkas was starting to wake he thought he heard another voice chime in... a commanding but soothing feminine voice, but Farkas couldn't remember what she'd said.

He woke this time with his head cradled against Duna's chest and Duna sleeping soundly with her arms draped across him. Gods he loved waking up with her...

Nightmares forgotten, he slowly woke her up with gentle kisses that steadily turned much more passionate as she woke up and began returning them.

Farkas had expected her to be in a hurry to head back to High Hrothgar, but he was not about to complain if she wanted enjoy some time in bed first. He loved how he could tell what she wanted by the way she kissed him... how his adorable, scared, little rabbit had become his beautiful, bold, little dragon... how she'd gone from being afraid of intimacy, to being the one to initiate it almost half of the time... gods, how he loved her.

Despite their delay in getting out of bed, Farkas and Duna were still both armored up with fresh warpaint just after sunrise. Neither Vilkas nor Lydia were up yet... Farkas couldn't very well leave without saying goodbye to Vilkas...

So after they finished breakfast, Farkas and Duna went back downstairs to find them... Duna dropped into the whelp common room, and Farkas headed down to Vilkas's room...

He paused at the door to listen and smell for a moment... upon concluding that it didn't sound or smell like Lydia was still in there, he knocked and then let himself in.

Vilkas woke with a slight start at the door opening, and Farkas could tell he hadn't quite been fully asleep.

"Ysmir's beard, brother," Vilkas groaned rolling over in his bed. "I expected you to wake me, but does it have to be at the ass-crack of dawn?"

"Gotta leave early if we're gettin' to the Greybeards today," Farkas shrugged, "how late were you up?"

"I was just dozing off," Vilkas grumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, but then he looked up at Farkas with a tired smile. "I guess I owe you one, brother..."

"Were you up with Lydia this whole time?"

"Aye, pretty much," Vilkas nodded, "we talked most of the night... about... a lot of things."

"You tell her you love her?" Farkas prodded with a smirk.

"Aye," Vilkas grinned like he still couldn't believe it, "and she loves me. She said she'll wait for me."

"Did you even ask if she'd just marry you now?" Farkas asked with a raised eyebrow.

Vilkas shook his head, "I started to tell you last night... I can't ask her to marry me like I am now," he sighed. "I'm not like you, brother... I don't know that I can control it well enough... I'm afraid I'll hurt her... or turn her..." he added with a scowl.

"Ah..." Farkas nodded... he wanted to reassure Vilkas more, but he did understand...

There were times Farkas’s wolf spirit put ideas in his head... like what a beautiful wolf Duna would be... or how he'd like to hold her down with his teeth while he mated her in his beast form...  
But those thoughts had always been easy enough for him to ignore... he couldn't imagine how uneasy he'd be if he wasn't able to shut up his wolf spirit, if he wasn't confident he'd never act on any of those ideas it gave him...

"I'm sure you'll find the cure soon," Farkas assured him instead.

"Aye, I'm actually..." Vilkas yawned, "feeling optimistic for once."

"Good," Farkas grinned, "'bout time you quit bein' so grumpy."

Vilkas chuckled and rolled his eyes, "aye, it's... nice... but," he yawned again, "don't you have more important things to do this morning?"

Farkas chuckled too, "we do. I'll let you sleep."

"Be sure you write and let me know how it goes," Vilkas nodded as he settled back into his bed.

"Will do," Farkas replied, "grease Njada's sword hilt or somethin' for me while we're gone."

"Will do," Vilkas chuckled as Farkas headed back out the door.

He found Duna back upstairs and they set off to retrieve their horses from the stable. As they walked through the streets hand in hand Duna told him how happy Lydia was. It made Farkas smile. He hoped finding their cure wouldn't take too long... for multiple reasons now.

They passed through Riverwood by mid-morning and made it to Ivrastead by mid-afternoon. They stabled their horses and had a late lunch before heading up the mountain.

"I don't think it's ever going to get easier to walk past this mess," Duna grumbled as they passed the remnants of the Thalmor ambush.

"It will," Farkas assured her. He put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his side as they walked.

"Distract me," she requested, looking up at him with a smirk.

"How?" Farkas chuckled.

"I don't know... tell me something..."

"Like what?"

"Umm..." Duna smiled, suddenly looking curious, "well, I admitted I got jealous when we met Anska... did you ever get jealous?"

"Hmmm..." Farkas thought... "not sure you ever gave me a lot of reason to really get jealous..." he shrugged, "I guess I got a little jealous when you told me about that soldier you escaped Helgen with..." Farkas admitted a few moments later.

"Ralof? Really?" Duna asked looking up at him in surprise.

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded, "you talked about him like you liked him," he said with another shrug.

Duna giggled, "he was nice, but there were several reasons I didn't take his offer to go back to the Stormcloaks with him..."

"I'm glad," Farkas chuckled. He reached down and took her hand as they continued up the path. Then he had another thought, "not sure it counts as jealous," he added, "but I wanted to kill Ulfric for lookin' at you like he did."

"I did notice you seemed a bit more tense than normal when he proposed," Duna nodded, "I... I was actually hoping that was why," she admitted sheepishly.

Farkas smiled a bit at that and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Was real glad when you told him no..."

Duna squeezed his hand in return and smiled as they continued past the last of the Thalmor helmets sticking through the snow.

"Hold on," Duna said looking back up at him several moments later.

Farkas stopped and raised his eyebrows at her attentively.

"You said you've been sweet on me since Bleakfalls Barrow..." she pointed out.

"Yeah..." Farkas nodded, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I told you about Ralof _before_ Bleakfalls Barrow..."

"Ah... It was on the way to Bleakfalls Barrow," Farkas shrugged, "I also said I thought you were somethin' else the first time I saw you shoot." Farkas smiled at the blush that spread across Duna's cheeks. It made him wonder... "When did you start gettin' interested in me?" He asked with a curious grin.

"Uh... well..." Duna blushed a little, "you know... I saw this big handsome guy take down a giant, and then he invited me to Jorrvaskr..."

Farkas blinked in surprise... she'd been interested as long as he had? But she wasn't still interested after Dustman's Cairn, he knew she'd been terrified... "so when did you take interest in me _again_?" He asked in confusion.

Duna looked up at him with a shy smirk, "I actually never lost interest in you... I just was also terrified of you for a while..."

Farkas just stared at her in surprise for a moment. "Really?"

Duna giggled, "I did say I had two conflicting sets of emotions..."

Farkas just shook his head and sighed. "Yeah, you're sure somethin' else," he grinned.

They held hands the rest of the way up the mountain and despite their impending fight with Alduin, Farkas couldn't help but feel like all was right with the world...

...or at least all would be right with the world...

Master Arngeir was surprised to see them. Farkas was surprised he seemed more agreeable than the last they spoke. Duna was able to convince him to host a peace council... but she couldn't convince him to assemble it for them... they were going to have to go talk to Ulfric and Tulius themselves. Farkas was not happy about that... not surprised by it, but not happy...

Duna didn't seem exceptionally happy either as they hiked back down the mountain... the icy wind as the sun went down didn't help either. Farkas wrapped his arm and bearskin cloak around her and they walked back to Ivrastead.

"So about what you were saying about wanting to kill Ulfric..." Duna grumbled as they got into their room for the night after dinner and a wash.

"Guess that'd be one way to end the war..." Farkas grumbled.

"Great, we have a backup plan," Duna sighed and flopped back on the bed. Farkas couldn't help but notice how her sleeping tunic draped loosely around her as she did... he pulled off his shirt and tucked it into his gear pack.

"I'm not much happier about having to walk into Tullius's headquarters either," she added as he turned back to her, "he's probably going to try and hand me back to the Thalmor."

"Who wins the war if we kill 'em both?" Farkas asked thoughtfully sitting down beside her.

"I don't know... Whiterun?" She shrugged, but then she shook her head, "no, the emperor would just send another general... or the Thalmor would step in..."

"So not a good idea..." Farkas sighed.

"Probably not," Duna agreed, "I don't want to pick a side, but if peace talks don't work we might have to..." she added with a bit of a scowl.

"If we do we won't be able to call ourselves Companions," Farkas pointed out, "the Companions don't do politics or take sides in wars."

Duna's eyebrows shot up at that. "Shit," she groaned, "I hadn't thought of that... that means we can't... if it comes to that I'll have to go alone..."

"No," Farkas shook his head. "If that's what it takes to save the world, we fight together," he assured her.

"But... Farkas..." she looked up at him with a worried expression, "the Companions are your family, I can't take you away from—"

"You're my wife," he interrupted stubbornly, "I go with you. If you have to fight in the war, I do too. You just tell me who needs bludgeoning," he smiled.

Duna just stared at him surprise for a moment before her face shifted into a tender, appreciative smile. Then she sat up, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him lovingly. Farkas wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest as he kissed her back. Duna shifted to straddle his lap and then leaned back to look at him again with a tired sigh.

"I guess if it comes to it, we'll probably side with the Stormcloaks," she decided looking uncomfortable at the thought. "At least Ulfric won't try to hand me back to the Thalmor..."

"And I won't let him take you from me," Farkas added in a low tone, “I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”

“I’ll shout him to his knees if he tries,” Duna smiled, which made Farkas grin. “So I guess we head back to Windhelm in the morning, and then to Solitude,” Duna added with a sigh.

“Sounds good love,” Farkas nodded.

Duna smiled appreciatively back at him, and Farkas leaned back in to kiss the side of her neck. Duna leaned her head to the side so he could reach her better and hummed approvingly as he continued kissing her neck. Farkas enjoyed her scent and the feeling of the blood pumping through her veins as he ran his tongue along her pulse point. She sighed again and Farkas felt the stress and anxiety begin to leave her as he ran his hands down to her hips and then back up her back and under her tunic.

They'd leave for Windhelm in the morning, and then they’d have to deal with the politics and then face Alduin again... but tonight, Farkas was just going to make sure she relaxed and enjoyed herself. It was about to be a long few days...


	58. Return to Windhelm

They got up in the morning and took turns in the washroom. Duna came back to the room as Farkas finished with his own warpaint, and he set to work painting hers on as well.

"I wanna get our own house," Farkas announced as he traced the line of dark paint down to her neck.

Duna opened her eyes and just blinked at him in surprise for a moment. "I'd like that," she agreed, sounding thoughtful before closing her eyes again so Farkas could paint the other side of her face...

Farkas smiled, "a place for just us, so we can take baths together, and make love whenever we want..."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Duna's lips as she tried to keep still while he painted, and he felt her cheeks warm with a faint blush under the cool paint. Then, when he finished the second line of paint she opened her eyes and grinned at him. "That sounds wonderful," she said happily, "Lydia mentioned that house over by Warmaiden's is for sale, she even said the Jarl was hoping I'd buy it."

"I was thinkin' of building our own place out away from everything," Farkas shrugged, "but a house in Whiterun would be less work."

"We can always buy the house in Whiterun so we have a place while we save up and build another home," Duna suggested.

"We can," Farkas agreed. It would be more private than Jorrvaskr, and still be close enough that they could take Companions' jobs if they didn't have to get into the war... "if it's the house I'm thinkin' of it should be plenty for just us."

"Alright then," Duna smiled, "once Alduin is dead, we celebrate by buying a house and not leaving it for at least a week."

"Can't wait," Farkas grinned before leaning down to kiss her. He could feel the happiness in her kiss and he wanted to pull their armor back off, but moments later she sighed and pulled back. It smelled like she was thinking the same thing he was, but...

"We should get on the road before we have to wash and do our paint all over again," she pointed out a little regretfully.

Farkas sighed, "alright love. Let's go."

They got breakfast and Farkas wrote a quick letter to Vilkas. He left the letter with the innkeeper to give to the courier when he made his rounds, and they set off for Windhelm.

As they rode northwest Farkas thought about what Vilkas had said about Jergen having found them near Shor's Stone... somewhere out here, between Riften and Kynesgrove... he wasn't sure if he wanted to find the place or not... would he recognize it, or would it just be another pile of rocks in the woods now? Would it bring back awful memories, or answer questions?

He decided he _did_ want to know, but now wasn't the time... after Alduin, after the beast blood was cured, then they'd have to come back out here... with Vilkas, and probably Lydia... Farkas had a feeling there were answers to be found...

But for now, they rode on. Duna grumbled about the cold the further north they got, and had to pull out one of the pelts they usually laid underneath their bedrolls when camping. They stopped for lunch in Kynesgrove so she could warm up and she actually dug through her enchanted pack for all the pelts they'd collected over their travels. When they got back on their horses she used a couple of wolf pelts as a blankets across her legs, and informed him that she'd have to ride with him if they had to be on the road after dark. Farkas couldn't help but chuckle at her as they continued on toward Windhelm... the mighty Dragonborn was looking like his adorable little rabbit again.

They reached Windhelm late in the afternoon and stabled their horses. Farkas could hear Duna's heart beginning to race as they made their way into the city. He reached down and took her hand.

"Don't worry, little rabbit," he smiled, "nothing we can't handle..." and, for not the first time, he hoped it was true.

Duna smiled nervously up at him. "Right," she nodded, "and we won't do anything drastic unless he starts it."

"Mmhmm," he agreed and they proceeded to the Palace of Kings...

Ulfric was at the long table, arguing with his housecarl about what to do about Whiterun. The Jarl did a double-take and the conversation died as Duna and Farkas walked into the throne room.

"Dragonborn," Ulfric said in mild surprise. He looked at her with a hopeful smile at first, but his expression darkened as he looked from her to Farkas. His smile faded completely when his eyes fell on their clasped hands...

"Tell me the rumors my men have heard are not true," he said in a pleading voice, "tell me you haven't doomed Skyrim to Thalmor control by marrying some _other_ Nord..."

Farkas felt insulted. He barely managed to conceal the growl that rose in his throat, and Duna seemed just as irritated at the Jarl's words.

"I certainly don't believe I've doomed Skyrim," she began, sounding like she was struggling to keep her tone even and polite, "but otherwise, I'm sorry, you are well informed my Jarl—"

"Damn it woman," Ulfric yelled, slamming his fist on the table before him, making Duna jump slightly.

Farkas did growl at that... Jarl or not, he had no right to speak to Duna like that...

"...but that's actually not why I'm h—"

"Do you realize what you've done?!" Ulfric interrupted her again.

Farkas shifted closer to her side and Duna tightened her grip on Farkas's hand.

"I'm sorry my Jarl," she snapped, in a much firmer tone than she'd used with the Jarl previously, "but I told you before that prophesy or no, I would not agree to a marriage with a man I hardly knew. I married the man I love instead. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or—"

"_Talos damn you, woman_," Ulfric interrupted yet again, throwing his hands in the air with an angry yell, "don't you dare apologize to me like some jilted lover! _Feelings_ do not enter into this!"

Farkas had to grit his teeth and clench his fist to keep himself from responding violently to the man. Duna's hand holding tightly to his was the only thing keeping him from lunging at him.

"...marrying _for love_ is a luxury rarely afforded people of our birth, and one _I_ gave up on _years ago_!" Ulfric was ranting now, "I would have been marrying you for _Skyrim_, for my people!" He growled, "did you even think about the consequences of your selfish actions?!"

"No," Duna retorted bluntly her voice beginning to rise as well, "you'll have to forgive me for being young, and naive, and _from Cyrodiil_!" She actually yelled at the Jarl... "Why in Oblivion would I see it as my duty to 'marry for Skyrim'?! I've been here less than a year, nearly got killed just getting here, and never even heard of your supposed prophesy until after I'd already begun to love someone else!"

"I would still expect you to see the importance of defeating the Aldmeri Dominion!" Ulfric yelled in obvious frustration, "you've doomed us to—"

"There are other heirs of Ysgramor," Farkas interrupted in a loud, gruff voice. He was finished letting Ulfric yell at his wife like their marriage was a bad thing, and he hated that Duna was apologizing. Ulfric turned his attention to him with an expression that looked like a mix of skepticism and hope.

"Are you one of them?"

Farkas was about to say 'no' but the word got caught in his throat. "I'm a Companion," he said proudly instead, "my shield brother, Skjor says I have the strength of Ysgramor, and my brother has his smarts. We bring more honor and glory to the name of Ysgramor than you or your line of kings."

It was a dangerous thing to say to an angry Jarl who was trying to set himself up as high king, but Farkas didn't care, he was angry too.

The look on Ulfric's face became murderous and Farkas subtly prepared for a fight, but the Jarl's Housecarl spoke first...

"You know as the true high king he could simply have you executed and take the woman?" The man snarled.

Farkas shifted less subtly to prepare for a fight, resting his hand on the handle of his mace, and Duna let go of his hand and stepped in front of him. Farkas could smell the furry radiating off of her...

"You know as the Dragonborn I would shout you both to death for trying," Duna retorted in a firm, warning tone.

"You’re threatening me?" Ulfric asked in a surprised but dangerous tone.

"I would never my Jarl," Duna replied, her forced, sweet smile quickly returning, "I’m _warning_ you..."

"You're not the only one who's trained with the Greybeards, woman," the housecarl snapped.

"Oh I know," Duna snapped back, "he's killed _men_ with his voice, I've killed _dragons_ with mine." Then she looked back to the Jarl, "Ulfric, I won't be your wife, but I could be your ally. I swear, you won't live to be king with me as your enemy. It's your choice..."

"Why you arrogant little bi—"

"That's enough, Galmar," Ulfric interrupted his housecarl as they man also began reaching for a weapon.

The Jarl looked from Duna to Farkas and back again, and Farkas recognized the look on his face... he'd seen it many times in battle; the look of a man who was trying to calculate whether or not he could win this fight... trying to decide if she was bluffing...

Farkas could tell Duna was not bluffing, and he hoped Ulfric would see it too. He made sure to stand confidently behind his wife as the Jarl debated.

Finally, Ulfric took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Farkas sensed some of the tension leaving the room, but the Jarl still watched him with an angry glare.

"Alright, Dragonborn," Ulfric said in a low tone, "I'm listening..."

"I did not come to start a fight," Duna began, a little more calmly, "quite the opposite actually... I have a message from the Greybeards."

Ulfric's eyebrows rose in surprise at that. "It's about time they turned their gaze from the heavens, back to our bleeding homeland," he grumbled. "What do they want?"

"They're summoning the leaders of both sides of this war to negotiate a truce so the dragons can be dealt with," Duna explained as she stepped forward to hand him the official letter from the Greybeards.

Ulfric looked even more surprised by that as he quickly skimmed the letter. "I have the greatest respect for the Greybeards, of course," he nodded, but then his brow furrowed... "but, what do the dragons have to do with my war for freedom?" He asked as he set the letter down.

Duna sighed, "that's a bit of a long story."

"I'm still listening," Ulfric said evenly.

"Basically," Duna shrugged, "Alduin has returned and in order to defeat him in time I need to use the Jarl's palace in Whiterun to trap one of his allies, but Jarl Balgruuf won't help while the war is going on because he can't risk weakening the city while he doesn't know if he's going to be attacked."

"If Balgruuf would just come to his senses he could have my men to help defend his city," Ulfric replied indignantly.

"Damn it Ulfric, we don't have time for politics," Duna groaned, and Farkas was impressed she had the guts to curse at the Jarl.

"Watch your t—"

"Did you miss the part where I said _Alduin has returned_?" She asked in exasperation, interrupting the angry housecarl.

"Alduin?" Ulfric repeated, and Farkas sensed most of the threat leaving Ulfric's demeanor. "The World-Eater of song and legend?" The Jarl asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Duna nodded gravely, "and you've seen him... the big black dragon who destroyed Helgen..."

Ulfric blinked in surprise for several moments and Farkas could tell he was trying to recall those details... "If that's true... well, it changes the situation doesn't it?" Ulfric said thoughtfully.

"Ulfric, you're not seriously considering wasting time with this?" The housecarl argued.

Ulfric turned back to his housecarl with an expression that told Farkas he'd just made his decision. "I believe her, Galmar," he said grimly, "the old songs, the descriptions, they fit the dragon we saw that day in Helgen. Saving Skyrim won't matter if the whole world falls. And besides, even Tullius may be forced to talk sense in the face of such a threat. The council could be beneficial to all of us."

"I still think the more efficient solution would be to shove a sword in Balgruuf's gullet," Galmar grumbled.

"And I'd still rather take the city without bloodshed if possible," Ulfric replied, "a temporary truce may give us the opportunity to convince Balgruuf."

"Or it may make us look like the cowards..." the housecarl spat.

"Galmar's right," Ulfric said, suddenly turning back to Duna, "the political situation is still delicate... I can't afford to appear weak. I can't agree to this unless Tullius himself will be there."

Farkas could practically hear Duna roll her eyes. "Tullius is the one who will look weak if he refuses, not you."

Ulfric raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, "you're right," he nodded after a few moments, looking a little surprised at himself for thinking so. "Let Tullius be the one to insult the Greybeards by refusing their summons," he mused, turning back to his housecarl.

Galmar gave a grunt and a grumpy nod which made Ulfric roll his eyes.

"So you'll come to the peace council?" Duna pressed hopefully.

"Yes," Ulfric sighed, "I'll give Tullius one more chance to quit Skyrim with his tail between his legs."

Farkas furrowed his brow, this was supposed to be a council to call for a truce, not a surrender...

"Thank you for listening to reason Jarl Ulfric," Duna nodded with what Farkas recognized by now as her practiced polite smile. "I will speak to Tullius and Master Arngeir, and we will see you at High Hrothgar."

"We will be there," Ulfric nodded, and to Farkas's relief, Duna gave the Jarl one more polite nod and they turned to leave.

Once they made it out of the palace the cold wind whipped around them again and Duna immediately huddled against Farkas's side. Farkas breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped his arm and cloak around her.

"What's your take on this?" She asked quietly, "do you think it's safe to spend the night in the city?"

Farkas considered for a moment as they walked out to the street... gods he hated politics... all the practiced, forced politeness made intentions more difficult to read, even if most of those pretenses had been dropped that evening.

Ulfric was definitely angry, but Farkas thought he seemed to understand that Duna hadn't been bluffing... Farkas at least didn't think he'd try anything before the peace council...

"I think we'll be fine tonight if you wanna go to the inn," Farkas concluded.

“O-ok,” Duna nodded with a shiver. She sounded relieved. “Let’s go get some hot dinner and sleep, and head for Solitude at dawn.”

“Alright love,” Farkas agreed. He was going to put a nightstand or something in front of the door that night though...

And he really wasn’t looking forward to seeing Tullius next...


	59. Losing Sleep

Farkas lay in bed late into the night, unable to sleep. Duna seemed to be resting peacefully, sound asleep with her head against his chest and one arm draped across him. Farkas couldn't stop playing her words through his head... when she'd apologized for marrying him... at the time he'd been confident she hadn't meant it, she was just saying whatever she had to to deescalate the confrontation with Ulfric... but now he recalled her words and they felt like a slap in the face.

"..._I'm sorry, you are well informed my Jarl_..."

"..._I'm sorry my Jarl_..."

"..._I married the man I love instead. I'm sorry_..."

"... _you'll have to forgive me for being young, and naive_..."

Farkas hadn't wanted to question her... he knew she loved him... he knew she was happy in his arms... he knew she wanted him at her side... he knew he was the only man she was comfortable with. She'd told him all of that and he could hear in her pulse and breathing every time she said it that it was all true...

...but none of that made those words hurt less.

He took a deep breath but it got caught in his throat and turned into more of a choked breath...

Duna woke with a start, glancing first to the door before looking back to him. She apparently hadn't been sleeping as soundly as he'd thought.

"Farkas?" She whispered. She sounded confused and worried as she propped herself up to see his face.

"Sorry," he grunted.

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking down at him in concern.

She reached up and cupped the side of his face, and Farkas suddenly felt a little silly. Yes, he knew she loved him, but he also knew she'd reassure him of that if he needed her to...

Farkas rolled onto his side to face her, and Duna shifted to lay her head on the pillow right in front of him. She kept a hand gently at his cheek and the sincere concern in her beautiful eyes made him start to feel a little better before either of them even spoke.

"You didn't mean it when you told Ulfric you were sorry you married me... right?" He whispered in a sad but hopeful voice.

"What?" Her eyes widened in shock, but then Farkas saw the guilty look of realization settle into her features. "No," she replied quickly.

She pulled forward and kissed him, and Farkas's hand went almost reflexively to her hip to pull her closer, but then she pulled back to look into his eyes again.

"I wasn't apologizing for marrying you," she whispered earnestly. "I will _never_ apologize to anyone for marrying you. I love you, and I don't care what anyone— Jarls, kings, divines, _anyone_— thinks about it."

Farkas sighed and brought a hand up to hold her hand against his face. He closed his eyes and just took a deep breath of her scent as she continued.

"I was _intending_ to apologize to Ulfric for misleading him and giving him false hope when we left last," Duna elaborated, "but he never exactly gave me a chance to finish my sentence..."

Farkas opened his eyes again and looked back into her beautiful dark blue eyes...

"I am sorry for how that must have sounded to you," she added quietly.

Farkas took another deep breath and let it out slowly. That was what he needed to hear. She sounded sincere... smelled and sounded honest... he believed her. Her words soothed his hurt feelings as quickly as her healing spell soothed physical wounds.

"Thank you," he smiled.

Duna quirked her eyebrows in confusion at him, and Farkas chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her. He rolled back onto his back, pulling her to his chest in a tight hug. Duna shifted with him, moving her leg across him to straddle his waist. He felt so relieved.

"That's all I needed to hear," he sighed happily, "I love you too."

At that Duna sighed and Farkas felt her smile as she cuddled back against his chest.

"Still think all this political stuff is too confusing for me," he grumbled a moment later.

"I’m sorry for that too," she replied sheepishly, "I know you don’t like it, but I still don't think I could have faced Ulfric without you," she admitted with another sigh.

"It’s alright," Farkas smiled, "I’d still rather be with you, and you did good standin’ up to him."

"You think he'll actually be willing to talk peace?" She asked doubtfully.

"I think he'd accept peaceful surrender," Farkas grumbled, thinking back to Ulfric's last comment.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Duna sighed, "I think our only hope is that the Greybeards might be able to make him behave."

"Guess we'll just have to see," Farkas nodded.

They fell into comfortable silence for a while, and Farkas thought Duna had dozed back off, but then she spoke up again, in a soft, tired sounding voice...

"I don't know what to expect from Tullius either," she yawned. "I mean, I know he'll probably feel obligated to hand me back to the Thalmor if he thinks he can restrain me, but..."

"I won't let him," Farkas grunted, holding her a little tighter.

"I know," Duna smiled, placing a kiss to his cheek. "But now that I think about it, I really don't know what he'll do... I met him a few times back in Cyrodiil," she continued, sounding worried, "he seemed alright to me back then, but he and my father couldn't stand each other, but Laeka said that was because Tullius didn’t like the Thalmor."

Farkas nodded thoughtfully... he wasn't sure what to make of that... it might or might not bode well...

"He didn't recognize me in Helgen," Duna added only a moment later, "I have no idea what he would have done if he did."

"Think he'll recognize you now?" Farkas asked.

"He might..." Duna shrugged, "I've been debating if him knowing who I am will be a good thing or not... he should at least know I'm the Dragonborn."

"Well," Farkas said gently, "we've got at least a day's ride to figure it out."

"True, you should get some sleep," Duna sighed. She lifted her head and shifted up to kiss his lips again.

"So should you," he smirked when their lips parted.

Duna hummed in agreement and settled back to her spot against his chest, cuddled up adorably against him.

"Goodnight, my little rabbit," Farkas smiled as he placed one more gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"Goodnight, my wolf," she replied in a soft voice that made Farkas's heart swell with happiness. She sounded like she was smiling as she began to doze back off.

Farkas finally dozed off as well... but it wasn't long before his happy mood and peaceful sleep were disrupted by Hircine's angry growls...

"_They made their choice... they are mine, as are their bloodlines!_"

"_That wasn't their choice!_" Ysgramor argued angrily... "_they were barely old enough to be considered men, and they were tricked! Misled by the only family they knew and seduced with promises of power!_"

"_Irrelevant!_" Hircine barked, "_they still chose to hunt for me!_"

The argument went on, but Farkas didn't remember the rest.

The memories of the dream made him uncomfortable when he woke the next morning... Hircine sounded like he spoke of the Companions in general, but Ysgramor could have been talking about him and Vilkas specifically... they'd been at Jorrvaskr for fourteen years when they took the blood... they'd thought they were men, but looking back on it now Farkas felt like they had certainly still been boys...

Skjor had been the one they looked up to, and Aela... well, Aela could make most of the whelps do anything she said, she used to scare him honestly. So of course, when Arnbjorn had been thrown out and his place in the Circle had been offered to the brothers, they had accepted without much thought or question. Kodlak, Skjor, and Aela had the beast blood, how could it have been bad?

Farkas let out a deep sigh... if only they'd known...

"Hmm?" Duna mumbled, blearily as she woke.

"Sorry," Farkas sighed again.

"Is it time to get up?" She grumbled turning to see the window.

"Probably," Farkas groaned, rolling over with her still against his chest.

"Did you get any sleep?" She asked, suddenly looking up at him in concern.

"Some," Farkas nodded. "Hircine and Ysgramor are still fightin' about something though."

"Any more idea what?" She asked sounding worried.

Farkas relayed what little he remembered of his dream and Duna furrowed her eyebrows when he finished.

"That definitely sounds like they're fighting about your cure... was Talos or Akatosh involved this time?"

"I feel like they were," Farkas nodded, "don't really remember 'em at all though."

"Ok," Duna sighed. She nuzzled against his neck for a moment and then sighed again. "Don't they know you've got enough stuff you're losing sleep over?" She grumbled.

Farkas chuckled and hugged her a little tighter.

"Are you alright, my love?" She asked, leaning back to look up at him again, "do you need anything?"

"I'm alright," Farkas smiled. "Let's get goin' love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I had originally planned to have this week’s update be two smallish chapters, but it’s been a hell of a week. I’m actually hoping to get the next chapter up in the next few days, but we’ll see.


	60. Tullius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the slightly delayed, short next chapter...

They got dressed and ready for the day, and Farkas wrote another quick letter to Vilkas while they ate breakfast. Once he paid the innkeeper to give the letter to the courier, they were on their way.

Even riding quickly they had a night of camping, but the trip was mostly uneventful. There were a few wolves on the road as usual, and they saw a dragon off in the distance, but it never approached.

Duna was starting to accumulate a collection of animal pelts that would make even Aela jealous, and they were wonderful for padding their bedrolls with. Farkas already enjoyed camping with her more than staying anywhere indoors, but her pile of pelts she'd lay down was beginning to make their tent more comfortable than most beds.

Dreams of daedra arguing with gods and ancient heroes still troubled him, but Farkas was able to get more rest camping than he had the previous nights.

Farkas was also finding he was particularly fond of making love to her out in the middle of nowhere... but much as he wanted to waste more time camping, they both knew they needed to hurry... not that that stopped them from enjoying the time they did have...

They reached Solitude by midday after one night of camping and got lunch at the Winking Skeever. The tavern was much quieter at lunch time than it had been the last time they'd been there. There were only a handful of patrons and the blonde bard who'd asked him about the Dragonborn the last time he'd been there was playing a lute off to one side of the room. She gave Farkas a smile as she finished the song and he couldn't help but smirk as he saw her gaze trail curiously to Duna. Farkas gave the bard a polite nod and moments later the woman approached their table.

"This must be that beautiful woman you told me about," the bard smiled.

"She is," Farkas nodded, looking to Duna with a grin, "my wife, Duna, the Dragonborn," he added proudly.

Duna blushed a little and raised her eyebrows at him in confusion.

"This is... uh..." Farkas looked back to the bard.

"Lisette," the woman supplied with a smile, "it's an honor to meet you."

"Uh, thank you," Duna nodded, "and it's nice to meet you..."

"I'm guessin' she's the bard who wrote the song about you," Farkas explained, "she's the one who asked me about you."

"Oh," Duna said with another nod, and at the same time Lisette excitedly asked,

"So you've heard it?"

"The bard in Dawnstar was singin' it," Farkas replied.

"I was very surprised and quite flattered," Duna added with an embarrassed smile.

"Dawnstar? Ah, well then you still haven't heard it sung _properly_," Lisette smiled proudly, "Karita's still a bit... new to her trade. Allow me to show you how it was meant to be sung," she smirked, stepping back and picking her lute back up.

Duna smirked as well and Farkas chuckled as the bard began to play and sing...

"Our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart..."

Farkas liked the song just as much as the first time he'd heard it. He didn't hear a whole lot of differences in the way the two women had sung it, but he wasn't stupid enough to tell Lisette that.

Duna was still blushing a little by the time they finished their lunch and made their way back out of the tavern. Several of the guards were happy to point them in the direction of Castle Dour, where they should find General Tullius.

Farkas was on high alert as they entered... this wasn't a Jarl's palace... this was the head of operations for Skyrim's Imperial army... Farkas couldn't help but feel that this was not a place a pair of Companions should be...

They entered the large stone hallway, lit with torches and large braziers... to Farkas's relief, amidst the smell of the cold stone and torches, he didn't smell any Thalmor... lots of soldiers... lots of guards... leather and steel... smoke and old tapestries... but no moonstone and magic; no Thalmor.

Only a few moments after they made it into the entryway, they heard a par of voices... a man and a woman...

"I'm telling you," the woman was insisting, "Ulfric's planning an attack on Whiterun."

"He'd be insane to try," the man's voice replied bluntly. "He doesn't have the men."

"That's Tullius," Duna whispered.

Farkas nodded and they followed the voices down the hall to what looked like a war-room. A Nord woman in heavy imperial armor was explaining her suspicions to an imperial man with short grey-white hair in very official looking imperial armor.

Farkas considered General Tullius thoughtfully... something about the man seemed familiar... he wasn't a particularly large man, but he was well muscled and strong looking, despite his age... he looked close to Skjor's age, maybe a little older.

"Are my men now giving free reign to anyone who wanders into the castle?" Tullius asked in exasperation as they entered the room. "Do you have some reason to be here, citiz— Dragonborn?" Tullius recognized her in surprise.

"I have a message from the Greybeards," Duna answered confidently, holding the official letter out to him.

"The Greybeards?" Tullius repeated in confusion as he looked over the letter. "What do those old hermits want with me?"

"They're convening a peace council at High Hrothgar," Duna began, but paused as he began reading the letter.

"Why? There's nothing to discuss as long as that traitor Ulfric is in arms against his rightful Emperor," Tullius replied, putting the letter down.

Farkas heard Duna sigh quietly. "We need a truce until the dragons are dealt with," she said, gesturing back to the letter.

"They are getting to be a problem," Tullius nodded, "but I wasn't sent to Skyrim to fight dragons. My job is to quell this rebellion, and I intend to do just that, dragons or no dragons."

"Ulfric has already agreed to attend," Duna informed him, and Farkas could hear the hopefulness in her tone.

"Has he?" Tullius looked surprised now... "I suppose he doesn't want to miss a chance to bluster about the Empire's many crimes," he grumbled. "He's probably hoping I'll refuse so he can blame the Empire for being unreasonable. I think I'll have to disappoint him yet again."

Farkas raised his eyebrows in surprise, he hadn't expected the general to agree so easily...

"You'll come to the peace council, then?" Duna asked, sounding just as surprised as Farkas.

"Yes, yes, fine," Tullius sighed, "I'll come to this Greybeard council... for all the good it will do."

"Excellent, thank you sir," Duna said in relief, "we'll see you in—"

"You know, it's funny," Tullius interrupted, "the Thalmor tried to tell me you were that little runaway Septim girl..."

"Oh?" Duna said, in fake surprise.

Farkas tensed as Tullius suddenly looked very carefully at her...

"But you couldn’t be..." He trailed off, looking at Duna, then his eyebrows rose. "Celeste?" Tullius asked in disbelief.

Duna took a deep breath, "yes," she nodded, "and I am the Dragonborn."

Tullius just stared at her for a moment, but then, to everyone's shock, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"General?" The woman in heavy armor asked in confusion.

Duna glanced back at Farkas and gave him a slight shrug, looking as surprised and confused as he was... the woman in heavy armor looked baffled as well.

"Cyrus must be so angry!" Tullius laughed, "I told him he couldn't keep Melissa Septim's daughter cooped up like that..."

Duna raised her eyebrows in surprise as the general continued...

"I told him... I told him he couldn't control the Septims..."

"But... he's a Septim..." Duna pointed out in confusion.

Tullius stopped like he’d choked and looked at Duna in surprise again. "I knew he was trying to make people forget, but I thought at least his children would know," he shook his head.

"Know what?" Duna asked in bewilderment.

"He took your mother's name when they married," Tullius replied, "he isn't a Septim, your mother was."

Duna looked shocked, and then lost in thought for several moments before looking back up from Farkas to Tullius. "You know, that makes a lot more sense..." she nodded, "I never really believed we were descended from Tiber Septim, just because I didn't believe my father could be... I thought we were just descended from somebody trying to get ahead in the political scene like him."

"No," Tullius shook his head, "your mother was a Septim, and there's not a trace of Cyrus in you."

Farkas raised an eyebrow at the confident way Tullius said that... the general actually looked... proud...

"That... makes... so much sense..." Duna nodded slowly, looking back at Tullius.

"General, the Thalmor..." the woman in heavy armor spoke up nervously.

"I know Legate," Tullius said suddenly serious, "Celeste, we’ll have to sit and talk after this war is done, there’s no time now."

"Understood," Duna replied, sounding uncertain.

"Alright, now this conversation doesn't leave this room," Tullius said in a quieter tone, looking meaningfully around the room, "I'm sure you know the Thalmor are hunting you... you didn't hear this from me... but I'm sure they will redouble their efforts when they hear you were in Solitude."

Farkas shifted uncomfortably at that.

"Don't stay in the city tonight," Tullius advised seriously. "I can tell them you have rooms at the Winking Skeever or somewhere to slow them down, but I won't be able to alert the emperor to our plans for a peace council without the Thalmor hearing about it."

"Ok," Duna nodded, "thank you." She looked back to Farkas for a moment before turning back to Tullius. "My husband and I can make pretty good time across Skyrim when we need to. We will be far away before dark."

Farkas couldn't hide a slight smile when Duna specified that he was her husband, and he definitely caught the surprise on Tullius's face when she did. The general suddenly looked over at Farkas a little critically and Farkas stood confidently beside Duna.

"Very good," Tullius nodded, once he regained his composure, "don't tell me which direction you're going, it'll be easier if I don't have to lie when I tell them I don't know where you are."

"Sounds good," Duna said with another nod. "We'll see you at the peace council."

"Stay safe, both of you," Tullius nodded and Duna and Farkas turned to take their leave.  
  


"What is it Legate?" Farkas heard Tullius ask before they reached the doors.

"I’ve just... never heard you laugh before sir... it was... startling."

"Yes, well..." Tullius replied sheepishly, "I guess seeing Melissa’s face always could raise my spirits."

  
  
Duna glanced back toward them in surprise before pushing the castle doors open. She breathed a heavy sigh once they got outside.

"You ok?" Farkas asked, reaching down to take her hand.

"Yeah..." Duna said, squeezing his hand, "that was just... a lot... and not what I expected."

"Yeah, I could tell," Farkas nodded.

Duna sighed again. "Come on," she shook her head, "I can process all of this while we ride, we should get out of here."

"We should," Farkas agreed. "Lead on, love."

Duna continued to hold his hand tightly as theymade their way out of the city gates. Farkas wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of riding the rest of the day, but at least it would give him time to process all they’d just heard... and he never minded a comfortable night of camping with his wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we got some details on Duna’s backstory that I thought up in the beginning, but wasn’t sure I’d ever have a chance to reveal logically in the story since Duna wasn’t aware of it herself... hope it wasn’t too shocking or hard to follow...
> 
> ...And Hurricane Delta... the next chapter will likely be delayed. 😕 Sorry.


	61. The End of a Peace Treaty

They took the southern road for a short ways, and then turned off the road into the wilds once they passed Dragonbridge. Duna looked lost in thought the entire time they rode, so Farkas found a suitable camping space in the foothills in the north of the Reach. It was a grassy space between several large rocks, out of view from any roads or paths. Farkas was confident no one had followed or would be able to find them.

Duna dismounted Dapple, and to Farkas's surprise, she looked up at him with a relieved looking smile. Farkas cocked his eyebrow at her curiously, smiling as well.

"You know how you said you thought the gods were on our side?" She asked.

"Yeah," Farkas nodded.

"Well," Duna smiled, "I feel like you're right."

"I'm glad," Farkas grinned.

They set up camp quickly, a routine they were both used to and efficient with by now...

Farkas tended their horses and built the fire while Duna pitched the tent and set up their bedrolls with the mound of animal pelts.

"I'm actually looking forward to talking with Tullius after all this is done," she admitted as they settled beside the fire with their dinner. "My father never would speak much of my mother... I've always wanted to know more about her..."

"Well," Farkas smiled, "if she's the one you take after, she must 've been an amazing woman."

"You're biased," Duna smiled as she leaned against him.

Farkas just chuckled and wrapped his arm around her.

"Seriously though," she spoke up again as they finished dinner, "I don't know what to do anymore if peace doesn't work... we can't side with Ulfric if I don't want to kill Tullius... but we can't side with the empire because the Thalmor would drag me back to Cyrodiil..."

"Hmmm..." Farkas nodded... that might be trouble... "maybe we can just stay Companions and be neutral?"

"Hopefully," she sighed, "I guess that was the goal in the first place."

"Yeah," Farkas replied with a smirk, "and the goal for tonight is to enjoying bein' away from it all..."

"Yes," Duna giggled as Farkas leaned down to kiss her neck.

They had a nice night, and then got on the road again. Farkas never thought he'd get tired of traveling across Skyrim, but he was tired of all the hurried back and forth. He wanted to enjoy the trip like he used to...

As they rode they spent a little more time talking about the house they'd like to build when they were able to settle down... to Farkas's delight Duna was happy with the idea of building something out away from any of the large cities.

"Something in the south though," she requested, "I don't think I can handle how cold it gets in like... the whole northern half of Skyrim..."

"Fine by me, love," Farkas chuckled, "I like the woods south of Whiterun... somewhere between Falkreath and Riverwood..."

"Somewhere along that stream you chased me through that one time?" She asked with a smile that made Farkas's heart skip.

"That would work," he grinned. "I can chase you through the shallow water... make love to you in the deeper water..." Farkas grinned a little more at the way he heard her heart jump at that.

"In the summer..." she nodded, "in the winter you’ll have to keep me warm by making love to me by the fire, and holding me all night in our comfortable bed, or pile of animal pelts..." she almost sounded like she was challenging him, but she blushed adorably as she smiled back at him.

"Won't complain about that," Farkas grinned, beginning to get excited just at the thought...

By the time they stopped to make camp outside of Falkreath, their conversation had Farkas worked up enough that he could hardly stand to keep his hands off of her. As soon as she finished setting up the tent he grabbed her by the hips and kissed her... Duna's reaction and her scent told him she was thinking the same thing he was, and they made love again before dinner.

This was what Farkas wanted, the freedom to just enjoy their time however they wanted. He tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong in the next few days to take all of that away from him as he held her close and kept her warm that night.

They continued on toward Ivrastead the next day, and stayed in Riverwood for another overnight. Then they took the long route to Ivrastead, approaching from the south to avoid running into anyone who might be thinking to intercept them.

Farkas could tell something was wrong as they approached; none of the usual townsfolk were outside, several of the town guards were running toward the bridge, Farkas could hear the clashing of swords, and he could smell blood and magic in the air...

"Get ready for a fight," Farkas grumbled as he reined Boy off the road and dismounted.

Duna swore under her breath and followed his lead, summoning her bow as soon as her feet hit the ground.

Farkas drew his mace and the lightning staff as they hurried into town. They came around the inn to the main road to find the bridge out of town blocked by a large group of Thalmor engaged in battle with Ivrastead's town guards, Jarl Balgruuf and his housecarl, and Esbern and Delphine...

"Oh fuck," Duna grumbled as she saw them...

"What are they doing here?" Duna asked in exasperation, "I didn't invite any of them! This was supposed to be peaceful!"

As Duna complained, Farkas suddenly heard the tavern doors open and Ulfric hurried out, followed by his angry housecarl.

"I should have known the empire would betray us..." Ulfric growled, "here we've come expecting to discuss peace and they bring an entire Thalmor—"

"Elenwyn, what is the meaning of this?!"

Ulfric trailed off mid sentence as they all turned to see General Tullius, yelling angrily at a tall Altmer woman in Thalmor robes. The general and the legate had been just coming into town from the western road with the Thalmor woman and a blond Nord woman in fine clothes.

"I assure you I don't know, General," the Thalmor woman replied as the legate drew her sword and stood to protect the woman Farkas assumed was the Jarl Elisif of Solitude.

"She's lying," Farkas whispered under his breath.

"Of course she is," Duna grumbled just as quietly.

General Tullius looked in exasperation from Ulfric to Duna before he drew his sword and rushed angrily down the road. "Aranman, order your men to stand down!" He bellowed.

No one lowered their weapons, but the fighting paused for a moment.

"Ah, General Tullius..." a smooth, confident male voice called out from the other side of the bridge, behind all of the fighters... the Thalmor all stepped back but kept their weapons drawn.

"Oh shit..." Duna hissed, and Farkas heard her pulse speeding up with dread... "fuck..." she added, sounding like she was beginning to panic...

"Calm down," Farkas said in a gentle voice beside her, "that who I think it is?"

Duna took a deep breath. "Yeah," she nodded.

"Alright," Farkas nodded, "he's not gonna touch you," he said confidently, glaring out at the Thalmor man standing behind the group... he was as tall as Farkas, but easily half his weight, and he was wearing an elaborate version of the Thalmor's black and gold robes with white blond hair hanging out from under his hood. He looked out at Tullius with a confident, condescending sneer... with black eyes and sharp features on a dark gold face... he looked a lot like that brother of his, and Farkas wanted to rip his throat out too...

"I'm glad you could join us, General," Aranman called out in mock-friendliness, "did you know Skyrim's Jarls are harboring dangerous fugitives?"

"I don't know anything about that," Balgruuf cut in indignantly. "These elves attacked us on our way to the path up the mountain!"

"Lord Aranman," Tullius yelled angrily and authoritatively, "crossing Skyrim borders with this many troops and attacking Skyrim citizens without even alerting the Empire is a breach of the White-Gold Concordat!"

"Oh you want to talk about breaching our treaty _now_..." Aranman sneered, "along with harboring old Blades members, you have still failed to return the Lady Septim to me. The last missive I received from my brother was that she had been captured, but then instead of returning with her, we found him and his entire company dead only a day's ride south of here... you don't honestly expect me to believe a simple imperial girl defeated my brother, do you?"

"I'm not sure what you're implying," Tullius grumbled, "but I wasn't even aware your brother was in Skyrim. The legion has other problems to deal with besides your runaway fiancée," Tullius retorted, "besides that, the Lady Septim is no simple imperial girl, she's the Dragonborn. I can't afford the amount of men it would take to even attempt to bring her in."

"Dragonborn indeed," Aranman rolled his eyes. "I watched that woman grow up. The only thing remarkable about her is her heritage and her particularly lovely features. I've had plans for her and the children she will bear me since she was born."

Farkas growled at that, and tightened his grip on his mace... that bastard was going to die... Farkas just wasn't sure if he wanted to kill him himself or to see the shock on his face as Duna proved him wrong by killing him herself. Farkas also noticed Tullius tightening his grip on his sword... the general looked angry too...

"This Dragonborn nonsense is a worthless Nordic superstition that the Lady Septim is no doubt exploiting to avoid capture," Aranman continued with a wave of his hand.

"But there is a Dragonborn," Esbern insisted, "we've met and worked with her, we're meant to have a peace council today so she can defeat Alduin!"

"Right... a peace council," Aranman added with another sneer, "that brings me to the next breach of the Concordat..." he looked back to Tullius, "did you really think we weren't aware of the troops your emperor is gathering at our borders?"

Tullius tensed a bit more...

"What?" Ulfric asked, looking from the legate to Tullius.

"We've known for some time that you were planning to attempt an invasion once you were finished with your silly civil war here..." Elenwyn added with a cocky smile.

"Tullius, is that true?" Ulfric demanded in surprise.

Tullius looked meaningfully from Duna to Ulfric and then back to Aranman without answering. The Jarl of Solitude looked surprised, but the legate just looked angry.

"So you'll understand," Aranman continued with a snide smile, "we can not let this peace council take place... you must all die here so your supporters can continue your war, rallying behind you as their martyrs, while the Dominion prepares to counter your empire's feeble attempt to over throw us. Thanks to your civil war here, the Dominion will take Cyrodiil and Skyrim in the next war," Aranman grinned as if he were sharing a secret.

"A peace council that went wrong and destroyed an entire town" Elenwyn smiled... she spoke in a high pitch, overly sweet voice that made Farkas's skin crawl.

"I thought you didn't know about this?" Elisif cut in, looking at Elenwyn in surprise.

"I didn't," Elenwyn replied, "I thought we were going to attack further up the mountain..."

"The Blades forced our hand a little early," Aranman called back to her with a shrug.

"So you had this whole betrayal planned?" Tullius demanded in outrage.

"Oh come now Tullius," Elenwyn scoffed, "don’t talk like you weren’t planning to betray the Thalmor this entire time... besides it's nothing personal, it's just that beloved rulers make such _inspirational_ martyrs..."

With that Elenwyn suddenly cast a lightning bolt at Jarl Elisif. The legate jumped in front of her and took the bolt with a pained scream.

Ulfric charged Elenwyn with an angry yell, and Galmar followed him.

Esbern resummoned his flame atronach, and Delphine charged one of the Thalmor soldiers, Balgruuf and Irileth followed. Several Thalmor soldiers ran to back up Elenwyn, and several town's guards ran to help Ulfric. The battle raged into chaos in the small town streets.

"Do you wanna kill the monster yourself or can I?" Farkas asked as he followed Duna toward the bridge.

"I don't care, as long as I know he's dead," Duna replied as she fired a dark purple arrow into a Thalmor soldier's face. "We can't let them destroy the town."

Farkas grunted in agreement as he shot lightning bolts into the group of Thalmor that were trying to set the inn on fire. A few guards finished them off and Farkas continued toward the bridge. As he moved forward, Duna hung back, just behind him with her bow.

Thalmor soldiers weren't as bad as Falmer. There weren't as many of them, and they didn't swarm as relentlessly. Farkas's mace smashed through the elven light armor easily, and the lightning from his Falmer staff drained their magic. Farkas lost track of where everyone except Duna was as they fought their way toward Aranman.

Farkas knew he was one of Jorrvaskr's strongest, and most formidable warriors, but now he realized he was getting quite good at fighting Thalmor specifically. He could smell their magic and dodge the fire and lightning spells before they hit him, and he could retaliate with his staff. Duna's arrows sailed past him and before long the Thalmor didn't have them outnumbered anymore.

They'd just made it across the bridge when Farkas caught the scent of that poison he'd dealt with twice before... then he heard the twang of a bow and quickly dodged the arrow that flew toward him.

"Not fallin' for that again," he growled looking up at Aranman who was backing up toward the mountain with an elven bow. He fired another poison tipped arrow that Farkas easily dodged.

"Oh Celeste," the elf grinned looking over Farkas's shoulder, "I thought you'd be coming to this silly council you'd arranged... is this your new pet? My brother told me he killed your last one..."

"He tried," Farkas snarled as he threw lightning from his staff at the elf. He could smell that Duna had dispelled her bow and had been preparing to heal him... he had to buy her time to resummon a weapon...

Aranman just managed to dodge the lightning, and he looked over at Farkas more carefully. "Well then I'll just have to finish you off for him," he said confidently before firing another arrow at Farkas.

Farkas dodged and kept advancing, attempting to hit him with another lightning bolt.

"I'm surprised a sword through your chest didn't do the job," Aranman retorted as he dodged again and reached for another poisoned arrow, "I'll just have to put two in you after I paralyze you again."

He shot at Farkas again, and Farkas dodged again too...

"And why do you follow my fifth wife around like such a loyal dog when it's obviously going to get you killed?" Aranman added mockingly.

Farkas was about to drop the staff and rush him with his mace, but then he heard the sound of Duna summoning a weapon... twice...

"WULD!" Duna suddenly launched past him with a summoned sword in each hand.

"Wha—" Aranman was cut off with a strangled gasp as Duna collided with him and ran both swords straight into his gut.

"Here's your two swords, you bastard," she snarled.

"Celeste... how...?" Aranman choked staring down at her in shock.

"First of all," Duna growled, looking back at him fiercely, "he's not my pet, he's my _husband_. Second, you don't have a fifth wife."

"But... my daughter... raised you... Cyrus... assured me..."

"Yes, Laeka raised me... and she knew all about how _well_ you treated your third and fourth wives," Duna replied in a low, angry tone. "She taught me a lot more than you wanted me to know."

Aranman's eyes widened in understanding and anger. He tried to swallow and Farkas saw his hands lighting up to cast what would probably be a healing spell.

"Also," Duna said as she dispelled her swords, leaving large wounds in his abdomen that began gushing blood, "I _am_ the Dragonborn, and I have much more important things to deal with than you." Then she summoned two more swords and lunged back into him, stabbing under his armpits as he was raising his hands, in an attempt to cast a spell.

"I hope your afterlife is filled with every ‘pleasure’ you gave your four wives," she said with a cruel smile.

For a moment Aranman's face looked shocked and properly terrified.

Duna looked back over her shoulder at Farkas with a grim smirk and gave him a slight nod. Farkas understood immediately and lunged forward, bringing his mace over Duna's head, smashing into Aranman's face.

The Altmer crumpled lifelessly to the ground and Duna dispelled her swords with a heavy sigh. For several moments she just caught her breath, staring at the body.

Farkas kept an ear down the hill for trouble... the rest of the battle was still raging, but Farkas knew Duna needed to collect herself. Finally, she looked up at Farkas with a weak smile.

"Thank you," she whispered in relief as she stepped in to hug him around the middle. Farkas awkwardly hugged her back with his mace and staff still in his hands.

"You ok, love?" He asked gently.

"Yes," she sighed, "that's one thing done, now—"

"Lord Aranman is down, fall back to help!" A Thalmor soldier yelled from down by the bridge.

Duna rolled her eyes. "Now we save Ivrastead, then we save theworld," she sighed as she summoned her bow and turned back to face the Thalmor soldiers running toward them.

"Alright, love," Farkas nodded, "let’s go."

Duna gave him an appreciative smile before turning to the advancing Thalmor with a "FUS RO DAH!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Sorry for the slight delay. The storm didn’t end up actually being a problem, I just never got any time to write while we were preparing for it to potentially be a problem, which has totally thrown off my writing schedule, so I make no promises about the next update... it may be early, it may be two weeks out...  
As always, I really appreciate all the kudos and kind words. Stay safe y’all! :)


	62. The Enemy of My Enemy...

In the end, Elenwyn had escaped with a small handful of Justicars, but thanks largely to Duna's shouts, no other Thalmor survived.

Ivrastead lost a lot of guards, which was going to be trouble for the already tiny town. On top of that the inn was going to need new thatch for its roof, and a portion of the house across the street had been burned down, but at least all of the occupants were safe.

Of the few guards that did survive, only three were uninjured enough to go for help. Two went to Riften while the other went with Delphine to Riverwood.

Duna and Esbern set about with their magic trying to heal people while the poor innkeeper tried to help by making rooms available for the injured.

Farkas set to work looting through the Thalmor bodies... most of them had potions on them. He brought all the magic potions to Duna so she could keep healing people, and the healing potions he distributed as best he could.

Irileth had taken a particularly seriously looking wound to her neck and chest... she had apparently taken a sword to protect Balgruuf. She was still at death's door even after several potions and it took Duna and Esbern both to heal her to a stable condition. Farkas had watched the whole ordeal wondering how Vilkas had managed to get him back from the being of death with only potions... he figured being as stubborn as he was really must factor into it...

Farkas brought more potions to other people who looked like they needed them...

Ulfric was sitting beside the mill looking pained, and he smelled like charred meat, but when Farkas offered him a healing potion he declined.

"Give it to Rikke," he said quietly, "she's in worse shape than I am."

Farkas turned his attention to the legate who was sitting a few yards away with Tullius and Jarl Elisif. She appeared to have taken several lightning burns, and Tullius had a few small cuts, but the Jarl was uninjured.

"Ulfric, you need that healed!" Galmar protested angrily, drawing Farkas’s attention back to the Stormcloaks.

"It's just my arm Galmar," Ulfric shook his head.

"Your _sword arm_!" Galmar snapped.

"They're lightning burns, I'm not bleeding out, I can wait for the healers," Ulfric snapped back.

Farkas smelled blood and turned his attention to Ulfric's housecarl... he was holding a hand to a heavily bleeding wound on his left forearm...

"Uh... you're bleeding..." Farkas bluntly pointed out to Galmar.

Ulfric turned back to Galmar with a start. "Damn it you stubborn old bear," he yelled as he saw the man's bleeding arm as well, "you're in worse shape than I am!"

"It's not my sword arm," Galmar argued.

"You're bleeding you old fool!" Then Ulfric looked back to Farkas who was holding out three healing potions with raised eyebrows. "Thank you, Companion," Ulfric sighed, "give two of those to Rikke, and one to Galmar."

Farkas rolled his eyes and did as he was told, and then pulled out a fourth potion and dropped it in Ulfric's lap.

Ulfric started to protest as Farkas walked away but the legate cut him off.

"Drink the stupid potion Ulfric! Damn you're still as stubborn as ever."

  
  
  
  


Farkas continued to make his rounds, bringing as many potions as he could find to everyone who needed them. He focused on Duna of course, but she was busy healing people most of the time.

When the most urgent matters were handled, he went back to the outskirts of town to find their horses. The animals had wandered much further than normal, anyone but Farkas would likely not have found them.

Duna was excited when she saw him leading Dapple and Boy back into town. Farkas chuckled as Dapple seemed just as happy to see Duna.

By nightfall guard reinforcements arrived from the Rift and Farkas left the rest of the cleanup efforts to them and focused more on making sure Duna was ok. She'd had a long, difficult day, but she seemed to be holding up well. They pitched their tent on the outskirts of the makeshift camp that had been made of the town, which meant they didn't have much privacy, but Duna was happy to simply cuddle up in his arms.

"How are you, my dear?" He asked as they settled into their animal pelts.

"I'm... happy," she sighed before leaning up to kiss him.

"I'm glad," Farkas smiled.

"As long as I can remember he's been there, giving me that creepy look... watching me like I belonged to him... and as the years went on he just got creepier, and when his fourth wife died and I over heard him talking to the other Justicar, and I was terrified... I tried to tell my father how uncomfortable he made me, but I still wasn't surprised when he got my father to agree to the marriage..." Duna paused for a breath, "I think part of me felt like I'd never really be free of him... like he’d always be out there chasing me... it's kind of surreal that he's dead."

She was rambling a little, but Farkas didn’t mind. He just held her and listened.

"I'm glad I was with you for it," he told her when she finished, "you were fearsome... it was something to see..."

"I'm glad you were too," she smiled, "I'm not sure I could have done it with out you."

"You're strong," Farkas shook his head, "and powerful..."

"You give me confidence though," she admitted, nuzzling closer. "I love you," she mumbled quietly as she tucked her face against his neck.

Farkas sighed happily. "I love you too, little rabbit."

Duna began to settle against his chest and doze off. Farkas took a deep breath and enjoyed her scent as he began to settle as well... she smelled so good... it had been two days since they'd made love, but he could still smell his scent blending with hers as if they just had... gods he loved that scent...

Farkas dozed off holding her comfortably and was so tired he slept soundly enough to hardly remember his dreams. He definitely still had the same dream he'd been having, but he only woke with a vague memory of it.

  
  


In the morning they got up and ready, and made their way up the mountain. Duna wanted to speak with Paarthunax. She wasn't sure if the peace council was still going to happen, but apparently Balgruuf had at least told her he'd help her after she healed his housecarl.

"You ok?" Farkas asked as they headed across the bridge again.

"This whole place smells like blood," she grumbled with a scowl.

Farkas raised his eyebrows in surprise. The guards from the Rift had dug a mass grave about a mile from town and dragged away all the bodies last night... Farkas could still smell the blood of course, but it must have been worse than normal if Duna could too.

"Places where there's been a battle will do that for a while," he replied with a shrug, "a lot of blood soaked into the ground."

"Makes sense," she sighed, still looking disgusted as they continued past the spot.

She slowed down the higher up the mountain they got, and huddled against Farkas once they got into the snow.

Master Arngier seemed tired and irritable when Duna explained what had happened the day before, but he still agreed to hold the peace council if the participants arrived. Duna thanked him politely and they took their leave to head up to the top of the mountain.

Paarthunax had a lot to discuss with her. Apparently he had found the name of one of Alduin's allies, and he was able to teach Duna how to call him. Then they spent some time with Paarthunax explaining to her something about how to strengthen her shouts by meditating on words of power. Farkas paid enough attention to gather that 'FUS' was the word for 'force', which made sense with how he'd seen Duna use it... but Paarthunax tended to ramble and throw in draconic words that Farkas couldn't always make sense of, so Farkas just got distracted watching their surroundings.

It was a clear cold day, and the bright sun made Farkas glad his warpaint helped with the glare, but the view from on top of the Throat of the World was breathtaking.

It was clear enough now that he could see down to Jorrvaskr in Whiterun... he could see people like tiny ant milling through the streets... he couldn't see well enough to tell who anyone was, but he could guess the glint of armor he saw in the training yard of Jorrvaskr was probably Skjor... Vilkas likely wouldn't be out there yet at this hour.

Farkas thought it was funny... all his years of living beneath that mountain... he never imagined he'd be on top of it and able to look down at the entirety of the place where he grew up. From up here Whiterun hold looked like such a small piece of the world...

  
  


It was almost lunch time by the time Duna was ready to head back down the mountain. They walked back into High Hrothgar to the sounds of a slightly heated discussion echoing through the halls...

"Damn you Nords and your stubborn sense of honor!" Farkas heard Tullius exclaim.

General Tullius and Lagate Rikke, and Jarl Ulfric and Galmar, and Jarl Balgruuf, and Esbern had all come up to High Hrothgar and were debating their next move...

"Can't you see the White Gold Concordat wasn't meant to be a surrender! It was tactical! We needed time—"

"I believed that at first," Ulfric interrupted Tullius angrily, "but the empire betrayed me in Markarth! How am I supposed to trust a crumbling empire that—"

"Damn it Ulfric, don't you get it yet?" Rikke cut in, "no one wanted to betray you, you forced their hand!"

Duna and Farkas entered the room quietly and sat down amidst the arguments... Farkas lost track of what exactly was being said and just focused on being ready to break up a fight... most of the yelling was Galmar and Rikke throwing insults at each other while Ulfric looked frustrated and deep in thought. Then, finally, Esbern yelled at them all to be quiet.

"This is ridiculous!" Esbern exclaimed. "You're all still behaving like children. The world has bigger problems at hand besides your petty squabbles," Esbern scolded, "you were all called here because Alduin the World Eater has returned, the end is at hand... unless the Dragonborn can stop him. Your wars are insignificant in the face of this threat. Stopping Alduin needs to come first."

"The old man is right," Balgruuf agreed, looking meaningfully over to Duna and then back to Ulfric and Tullius. "I will help the Dragonborn capture a dragon, if I can count on both of you not try and invade my city while I do it."

"Alright," Ulfric sighed, "Tullius, we can fight about sovereignty later. For now—"

"Ulfric you're not giving in to this?!" Galmar interrupted in shocked outrage.

"No," Ulfric snapped back. "I'm not surrendering, and I'm not giving up anything. I'm simply acknowledging that the dragons and the elves are the bigger threat right now. If the world falls, Skyrim falls with it. So for now, Skyrim can ally with the empire."

Galmar snorted disdainfully while everyone else at the table looked surprised.

"Besides," Ulfric added, "it's likely the only way this crumbling empire stands a chance against the Dominion..."

"And there it is," Rikke rolled her eyes.

"Your insults and over-inflated ego aside," Tullius grumbled, "I think we have something we can work with here... I'll have to notify the emperor, but given the latest developments, a truce in Skyrim until we can defeat the Thalmor would benefit us all."

"I think so too," Ulfric nodded, "the enemy of my enemy..."

"Hmpf," Rikke grumbled, "can't think where you've heard that before..."

"I said I was sorry, woman," Ulfric grumbled under his breath.

"Whiterun can remain neutral ground for meeting and coordinating," Balgruuf suggested. "After the Dragonborn captures her dragon in my palace..."

"We can send men to help with that," Ulfric offered earnestly.

Farkas noticed Tullius and Rikke looked surprised at that.

"No," Balgruuf shook his head, "save your men for the Thalmor. I'm afraid we're going to need them."

"I'm afraid he's right," Tullius agreed, "this little side-show up here has both armies stretched too thin, we wanted time to shore up more resources before taking on the Dominion."

"That's fair," Ulfric conceded. "And what does the Dragonborn think?" He asked looking to Duna, "you've been out all morning, and rather quiet since you walked in..."

Duna shrugged. "I'm a Companion, and I've made my home in Whiterun with my husband and family. I have no interest in taking sides in your war."

Farkas smiled proudly beside her and Duna reached over to take his hand under the table as she continued...

"To be honest, I think an alliance to fight the Dominion instead of each other is the most intelligent solution that I've heard mentioned. I know rather well how the Thalmor work. I'm sure they're the only ones benefiting from this war the longer it drags on. I would have suggested this in the first place, but I honestly just never thought getting both of you to agree on that would be possible."

"I agree with the Dragonborn," Balgruuf nodded.

"Of course you do," Galmar snapped, "you've refused to take a side this entire time, you coward!"

"How dare—"

"Enough Galmar!" Ulfric barked, interrupting Balgruuf. "I also agree with her."

"That's surprising..." Rikke grumbled under her breath.

Ulfric looked like he was about to say something to her, but Tullius spoke first...

"Then it seems we finally all agree on something," he said, sounding surprised as well. "I have to contact the emperor of course, but I propose we meet again in Whiterun to plan our movements against the Thalmor once this World Eater is dealt with. That should, at the very least, give me time to correspond with the emperor."

"How do we know they won't attack before then?" Ulfric asked.

"We don't," Tullius shrugged, "but it'll take time for Elenwyn to get reinforcements as well, probably at least as long as we will organizing."

"But again, nothing matters if the dragonborn fails to defeat Alduin," Esbern spoke up emphatically.

"We know that," Ulfric replied sounding mildly exasperated. "But what do you expect us to do about that besides agree to stay out of her way so she can deal with it?"

"Yes... you do have a plan for that... right Celeste?" Tullius asked in an obvious mix of hopeful and skeptical.

"Actually, I do," Duna nodded. "I've been out all morning because I was speaking with the leader of the Greybeards, and we've devised our plan. I know the name of one of Alduin's allies, and I know how to call him. We will beat him into submission and I will force him to tell us where to find Alduin. We’ll devise the rest of the plan from there," she explained confidently.  
Everyone looked a little surprised, but no one questioned her.

There was a bit more discussion of the details, and a little more back and forth, but Farkas was honestly only paying attention to watch for signs of hostility at that point. He was starting to get tired and bored. How was sitting around talking all day this exhausting?

Finally, the discussions came to a conclusion, and Master Arngeir dismissed them all.

"I... can't believe that actually worked..." Jarl Balgruuf uttered in amazement once Tullius and Ulfric had both left.

"If it hadn't been for the Thalmor's ambush I doubt it would have," Duna shook her head.

"My men should have been oiling the old chains on that dragon trap," Balgruuf continued, "we'll have it ready when you are."

"Thank you," Duna nodded. "I'm going to have a quiet night with my husband, and then we'll be there."

Balgruuf nodded and took his leave as well.

Once High Hrothgar was finally quiet again Duna sighed and leaned tiredly against Farkas.

"Thank you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I didn't do anything," Farkas shrugged as he returned the hug.

"You've just been with me," Duna smiled, "that actually helps a lot."

"I'm glad, love," Farkas smiled as he placed a kiss to the top of her head. "...And," he added a moment later with a smirk, "by 'quiet night' I hope you meant us going somewhere quiet... not us being quiet..."

Farkas grinned as he heard her heart rate increase.

"That is exactly what I meant," she replied with a beautiful smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I’m not the only one who wishes you could actually fight the Thalmor instead of choosing a side in the civil war...


	63. Punched in the Stomach

Farkas and Duna had another lovely night camping south of Riverwood. They talked about where they might build their own house... there was a nice spot beside the lake that they both liked... Farkas wasn't sure if it was technically in Whiterun hold, or Falkreath's, but that should be something easy enough to figure out later. They both agreed they'd buy the place in Whiterun first, then take their time finding the perfect place to build.

They made it back to Whiterun in time to have a hearty lunch at Jorrvaskr and fill Vilkas, Lydia, and Anska in on all that had happened.

Not a lot had changed at Jorrvaskr. Vilkas was frustrated they seemed to be at a dead-end in their research, and the idea of taking a break to help with a dragon fight had him excited.

Farkas was a bit excited too; after days of back and forth and talking to too many people and dealing with politics, he was itching for a good fight.

True to his word, Jarl Balgruuf had the old dragon trap ready when they arrived. Anska promised to standby with healing spells if needed, and Jarl Balgruuf led them all out to the back porch of Dragonsreach.

"Never thought I'd see this old thing working," Lydia commented as they walked underneath the old contraption.

"I never thought the old legends were actually true," Vilkas shook his head.

"I hope it still works," Farkas said looking up at the old structure... it was shaped like a giant yoke... one big enough to fit on a mammoth... or a dragon... but it looked old...

"It's still solid," Balgruuf assured them, "I had my men check it."

"Alright," Duna nodded, "is everyone ready?"

"Just give the word Dragonborn," Balgruuf nodded.

Duna looked back to Farkas and he nodded at her.

"Let's catch a dragon," Duna said, summoning her bow as she made her way to the balcony.

Farkas stood close behind her with his lightning staff and dragon bone mace at the ready as Duna stepped to the edge of the balcony and shouted into the sky,

"OD AH VING!!!"

Her voice was like a crack of thunder and all of the Jarl's men looked startled.

Silence fell for several moments, and then, there was a responding roar in the distance... several moments after that Farkas could see a large red dragon flying in over the mountains.

"Shor's bones," one of the guards cried out in fear, "here he comes!"

The fight was much different than the dragon fights they'd had in the past. It was difficult for Farkas adjust to nonlethal attacks, but fortunately, he didn't have to for long. Once Duna forced it to land she darted immediately back underneath the trap.

Farkas was surprised and impressed how quickly the trap dropped. He was more impressed that it actually held.

The dragon roared and flailed angrily for several moments, ranting angrily and spewing fire every which way while the Companions and guards dove for cover.

When the dragon finally realized it was caught and began to angrily stop struggling, Duna approached cautiously, and Farkas stayed close behind her. Vilkas and Lydia followed at a bit more distance while Anska stayed back by the entry way.

The red dragon grumbled something in the dragon language as he glared at them. "You went to a great deal of trouble to put me in this... humiliating position," he growled, followed by another sentence in draconic. "No doubt you want to know where to find Alduin?"

"That's right," Duna nodded. "Where is he hiding?"

If Farkas thought Paarthunax rambled and threw in too many words he couldn't understand, this dragon was much worse. He was impressed Duna managed to hold a conversation with him. Farkas only managed to follow half of what the dragon said, but he gathered that Alduin was hiding in Sovengarde... that was a hard concept to wrap his mind around... he thought Sovengarde was only a place an honorable warrior could go after dying... and the idea that the big black dragon was there eating the souls of the dead was an unsettling and upsetting concept... what if Jergen was there? Or the biological parents he'd never gotten to meet?

"...now that I have answered your question, you will allow me to go free?" The dragon asked hopefully.

"Not until Alduin is defeated," Duna shook her head.

"Ah, well... hmm... krosis," the dragon said slowly. "There is one... detail about Skuldalfn I neglected to mention..."

Farkas was pretty sure the dragon had the equivalent of a sly smirk now, and he didn't like it...

"Tell me what you know, then," Duna demanded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Only this..."

Farkas was certain the dragon was smiling in that disconcerting way that dragons did now, and he really didn't like it.

"You have the Thu'um of a dovah," the dragon began, "but without the wings of one, you will never set foot in Skuldafn. Of course... I could fly you there. But not while imprisoned like this..."

Farkas let out an irritated huff.

"Do you expect me to take your word for that?" Duna retorted.

"Ahraan. You wound me, Dovahkiin," the dragon whined, "I may not tell the whole truth, but I am no liar. Go and see for yourself," the dragon challenged. He said another string of some draconic words, and then, "I will be here... unless Alduin returns before you do."

Duna sighed grumpily and turned to stomp back to the side of the room. Farkas was quick to grab her subtly outstretched hand by her side as he noticed she was reaching for him. Vilkas and Lydia followed and they gathered a small distance from the dragon.

"What do you think?" She grumbled, looking at a loss from Farkas, to Vilkas, Lydia, and Anska.

"I've heard of Skuldafin..." Anska said thoughtfully and then hesitantly she added, "I don't think the dragon is bluffing."

"Aye," Vilkas grimaced, "I don't like the idea of flying off to Sovengarde on a dragon's back, but I didn't get the impression the dragon was being dishonest either."

"So, I guess we're doing this then?" Lydia said with an expression that looked like a mix of hopeful and fearful.

"I... it sounds like this is our only option...?" Duna nodded uncomfortably, looking to Farkas questioningly.

Farkas looked over at Vilkas... Vilkas looked resigned to this course of action... Farkas couldn't wrap his mind around the implications of riding a dragon off to Sovengarde, but if this was what they had to do, he wasn't one to be a coward. He looked back to Duna, gently squeezing her hand.

"We can do it, love," he nodded, "nothin' we can't handle."

Duna smiled appreciatively up at him, and was about to reply, but then they all turned suddenly as they heard the dragon snap,

"Begone, mage. Do not test my promise to the Dovahkiin."

"I assure you, you will not even notice me," Farengar insisted as he moved around behind the large beast. "Most of them are hardly painful at all to a large dragon such as yourself."

"Farengar," Irileth called out warningly, "very bad idea... even for you."

But Farengar clearly wasn't listening as he commented casually about the dragon not missing a few scales or some blood...

"Joor mey!" The dragon suddenly yelled, "what are you doing back there?" And with that he let out a fearsome roar of fire into the palace wall.

"Farengar!" Balgruuf yelled, "enough, fool!"

"Sounds like the sooner we get going the better," Duna sighed as the court mage retreated hurriedly from behind the dragon.

"Aye," Vilkas agreed, watching the mage irritably as well.

"Stupid mage," Farkas grumbled under his breath.

"Let's go before the world ends because someone pissed off our ride to Alduin..." Duna grumbled too.

The dragon happily, but a little smugly promised to carry them to Skuldafin, and Duna told the guards to release the trap. The guards weren't happy about it, Irileth called them crazy, but once the dragon was freed, he waited patiently for them.

Farkas was ready... they were going to fly to Sovengarde to face Alduin... this was it... they would either save the world, or die trying... and he and Vilkas would see Sovengarde after all...

Or at least that was what he had thought...

Farkas felt like the air was knocked out of him when the dragon told them that only Duna could pass through the portal... the portal would only open for one with a dragon soul...

Duna's pulse sounded nearly panicked at the realization that she had to face Alduin alone... her grip tightened on his hand, and Farkas pulled her back into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Farkas was torn between encouraging her and not letting her leave his embrace.

She was his little rabbit, he couldn't let her go face the World Eater without him...

And at the same time, she was his fearsome little dragon... the Dragonborn destined to save the world...

...and he was just a stupid werewolf who'd been lucky and stubborn enough to win her heart...

She could do this without him... she had to do this without him...

Farkas took a deep breath. "Nothin' you can't handle, love," he whispered, gently kissing the side of her face.

Duna took a shuddered breath and turned to the dragon. "I... I'll be able t-to come back, right?"

"If you survive..." the dragon nodded.

Farkas heard Duna's pulse jump frantically at that, and he thought over her skills... she had taken down dragons with just the two of them... one while they didn't even have armor on... and one she took down with Lydia's help, not his...

Her bow and swords were magically summoned, so couldn't be disarmed or run out of arrows... she had spells to heal herself...

This was her destiny, and Farkas honestly believed she could do it.

He hugged her a little tighter. "You can do it, my little dragon," he whispered gently, "you're strong... powerful... fearsome. I know you can do it. I'll be here... we'll celebrate with a big party at Jorrvaskr when you get back."

A tear escaped Duna's watery eyes and she took another shaky breath. "Alright," she nodded, "alright... I... I'll be back, and..." she looked up into Farkas's eyes, "and we'll buy that house by the blacksmith's..."

"Then I'll build you the house of your dreams down by the lake," Farkas smiled as he reached up to wipe her tear away.

"Yeah," she nodded with a weak smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, quickly ducking down to kiss her. She tightened her grip around him and kissed him back, just as eagerly. Vilkas cleared his throat behind him, but Farkas didn't care who was watching. His wife was about to leave for Sovengarde, he was going to hold and kiss her as long as he could.

When their lips parted he held her close to his chest for a few more moments. She still smelled like him... it was like their scents were blended now... even more so than when they'd just made love actually...

Farkas took one more deep breath of that wonderful, satisfying scent before he let her slowly pull away. He'd never been much of one for praying, but he said two quick, silent prayers to Talos and Mara that she'd come back to him victorious... and that he'd get to hold her again and actually make good on that promise to build her a house...

Duna took another deep breath and began to look a little more calm and confident, but Farkas still heard her heart pounding.

Vilkas stepped forward, placing a firm hand on both of their shoulders. "Give our regards to Ysgramor and the old heroes if you see them," Vilkas smiled at Duna. "I'll take care of my brother while you're gone," he promised.

"I-I will," Duna nodded, "thank you..." she looked then over to Lydia.

"And I'll take care of both of them," Lydia smiled, nodding her head at Farkas and Vilkas, "good luck, my friend."

"Thank you," Duna smiled a little more confidently. Then she looked back to Farkas, concern evident in her beautiful eyes. "A-are you ok?" She asked quietly, which told Farkas he must have looked as upset as he felt.

"You don't have to worry about me, love," Farkas said with a final squeeze of her hand, "just save the world. I'll be here."

"Well, at Jorrvaskr," Vilkas cut in.

Farkas rolled his eyes. He leaned back down and gave her one final, quick kiss. "Good luck, my little rabbit," he whispered.

Duna threw her arms around his neck for one final hug. "Thank you, my wolf," she whispered in his ear, "I'll be back."

And with that she pulled away and turned toward the patiently waiting dragon.

"Are you ready to see the world as only a dovah can?" The dragon asked with a toothy smile.

"I'm ready," Duna nodded.

The dragon rested his head on the floor for Duna to climb on, and Farkas jumped wordlessly forward and helped her get situated. He squeezed her hand one final time before letting her go and stepping back as the dragon took off.

Duna looked back at him one final time, and Farkas felt like he'd been punched in the stomach as he watched the dragon fly out of sight.


	64. Realizations and Revelations

Farkas stood there and stared off into the distance for an hour until Vilkas finally dragged him back to Jorrvaskr. He knew he'd told Duna not to worry about him, but he couldn't bring himself to actually do anything but worry and wait for her.

He didn't want to go inside, he'd want to be able to see and hear when the dragon brought her back... or however it was she'd get back...

Vilkas seemed to pick up on that without words. "Come on, brother," Vilkas said as he dragged Farkas to the yard in back, "I need a good fight, I still haven't gotten to actually kill one of those beasts and my blood is still hot."

Farkas wasn't sure how much Vilkas really needed the fight and how much he was just trying to distract him, but either way, sparring was probably what both of them needed.

They spent the last hours of daylight halfheartedly swinging their training swords and parrying each other's attacks. Farkas had gotten used to his mace and was a little awkward going back to the great-sword that he used to train with. If they'd been keeping score, Farkas was sure Vilkas would have defeated him handily, but he didn't really care. Vilkas made no comment about how slow or sloppy he'd gotten either, and they just continued.

Just before sunset there was a distant sound of a single boom of thunder from far off to the east and Farkas couldn't shake the feeling that that was significant. The air seemed to settle more heavily all of a sudden... like the whole world was holding its breath...

Farkas thought he was just imagining it at first, but then he met Vilkas's eyes and knew Vilkas sensed it to.

"I'd wager that was the portal to Sovengarde," Vilkas said seriously looking off toward the dark eastern sky.

Farkas just nodded. He didn't know why or how, but he got the feeling Vilkas was right. At least they knew she'd made it that far. For the third time that day he made a silent prayer for her safe return.

"Come on," Vilkas nodded toward the porch, "I expect we'll know when she's back too."

Farkas followed and dropped tiredly into a chair on the porch. He expected Vilkas was right about that too, but he still didn't want to go inside.

Lydia handed him and Vilkas both a mug of water and Farkas drank it slowly, his mind miles away, thinking about Duna traveling through the mists of Sovengarde...

People moved about around him, but Farkas wasn't paying attention.

"What's wrong, Anska?" Lydia's voice caught his attention several moments later, "you've been looking troubled since Dragonsreach..."

"Oh, um..." Anska sounded startled, "I... I'm not sure now is the best time to bring it up..."

Farkas looked up to the mage in halfhearted curiosity. She looked back at him with a nervous, uncertain expression, as if she was debating her own sanity.

"As good a time as any," Vilkas commented, looking back at the woman with raised eyebrows as well, "Farkas needs a distraction. What troubles you?"

"It... it might be nothing..." she shook her head slowly, "it... I've actually been thinking about it for a while, but today... um..." she took a deep breath and looked from Vilkas back to Farkas... "what you said, when you told your wife not to worry," she said hesitantly, "c-could... or would you mind... could you say that again?"

"Huh?" Farkas raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"I... I think it reminded me of... someone... I need to hear it again..."

"Oh... uh..." Farkas blinked in confusion for a moment, trying to recall what exactly he'd said that she would have heard... "I think I just said somethin' like... 'you don't have to worry about me, love'..."

Anska nodded, but she looked like she'd seen a ghost, and Farkas suddenly realized she had tears in her eyes. He cocked his head in concerned confusion at her.

"You... you sound just like my father..." she explained, "he used to say that to my mother before he'd leave on hunting trips or something... and it really threw me off when I heard it earlier today."

Farkas just raised his eyebrows in surprise, slowly connecting what that could mean... he liked this possible conclusion much better than the first one Vilkas had come to for why Anska seemed so familiar... could they be related?

Anska shook her head again and took another deep breath as she looked from Farkas to Vilkas, "and... y-you two are twins?"

"Aye," Vilkas nodded also looking at Anska curiously now, "or at least we assume so, we're the only blood family either of us has ever known."

Anska looked even more startled at that, "you... don't know your family?"

"No," Vilkas shook his head, "we were brought to Jorrvaskr as young children..." he looked over to Farkas and Farkas nodded encouragingly at him.

Farkas suspected Vilkas was thinking the same thing he was...

"We were rescued from somewhere near Shor's Stone by a man named Jergen when we were close to three years old... he adopted us... and named us..." Vilkas continued, clearly watching for Anska's reaction.

"Near Shor's Stone?" she repeated with wide eyes, "when?"

Vilkas glanced to Farkas again with raised eyebrows.

"It was more than twenty years ago now," Farkas replied, eagerly watching for Anska's reaction.

Vilkas rolled his eyes. "It's been _twenty five_ years since we were brought to Jorrvaskr," he elaborated.

"That _is_ more than twenty," Farkas grumbled under his breath.

"We've been guessing that makes us close to twenty eight years old," Vilkas continued, "but we've never really known..."

Anska just blinked for a moment, looking completely shocked. "It... it all fits, but... it can't... I'm sorry to have brought it all up now," she shook her head again, "but you both remind me so much of my father, and even a little of my mother..." she took another deep breath, and paused, looking uncertain... "my... my brothers would have been twenty eight this Evening Star..."

Farkas's heart jumped... she had brothers...

"Your brothers?" Vilkas asked.

And at the same time Farkas repeated, "would 've been?"

"Th-they died," Anska nodded sadly. "They were twins too... th-they were barely more than two winters when our home was attacked by mages... our father and my brothers were... k-killed in the fire."

Farkas's eyes widened in shock... fire... the fire Vilkas remembered... he looked to Vilkas to find a mirrored expression of shock and realization...

"My brother and I have very little memory of anything before we came to Jorrvaskr," Vilkas began hesitantly, "but I do remember a fire..."

Anska shook her head in denial, "y-you couldn't be, my brothers _died_... we buried them beside my father..."

"Jergen found us bein' experimented on by necromancers," Farkas added uncomfortably looking back to Vilkas... he didn't like the notion that they could have been dead and brought back by black magic, but too many puzzle pieces suddenly fit together... Anska was his sister, he was sure of it.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, looking uncomfortable too. Farkas guessed he didn't like the idea of having been brought back by necromancers either.

"And the first time we met, I thought somethin' about you was familiar," Farkas told Anska seriously. "I told Duna not to shoot you 'cause you reminded me a little of Vilkas."

"We've both thought you were familiar but couldn't figure out why," Vilkas added.

"Y-you both... really?" Anska asked in disbelief.

Farkas and Vilkas both nodded.

Anska just stared in shock at both of them for several moments.

"What were your brothers' names?" Lydia spoke up curiously, breaking the silence.

"H-Hadric and Hadring," Anska replied quietly.

Farkas's breath caught in his throat. He knew those names. He didn't know where he knew them from, but he knew those names... specifically, if he had to guess, Hadring sounded more familiar, but he knew he knew Hadric too... Farkas looked back to Vilkas, who now looked like he was the one who'd seen a ghost...

"Hadric..." he said slowly, "my name was Hadric... I... I remember it..."

"And I was Hadring," Farkas nodded.

The puzzle pieces all came solidly together now... Farkas felt like they should have figured this out sooner...

"You... you remember... you're really...?" Anska stuttered, "but... how?" She asked looking with wide eyes from Vilkas to Farkas, "how are you alive? I visit your graves every time I go home to see my mother... you..."

"How certain are you that what you buried was your brothers?" Vilkas asked, getting to to his feet and stepping closer to her and Farkas.

"I... well... I was young..." Anska began, "what was left after the fire wasn't the most... recognizable..."

"So we were either kidnapped by necromancers and something was buried in our places," Vilkas nodded, "or..." he trailed off looking uncomfortable again...

"Or we were dug up and made an experiment," Farkas finished, making Vilkas grimace.

"Right," Vilkas scowled.

Farkas got to his feet too, looking back to Anska...

His sister...

They had a _sister_...

He tried to wrap his mind around this realization as Anska still looked from him to Vilkas in disbelief, blinking back tears. Then she suddenly threw her arms around Vilkas's neck and dragged him over so she could throw her other arm around Farkas.

Farkas hugged Anska and Vilkas, still not fully able to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

"Hadric... Hadring..." Anska choked back happy tears, "I can't believe it..."

"Does this mean I have to change my name?" Farkas asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, they were our names first," Vilkas laughed, "but I think I'd rather stick to Vilkas and Farkas too."

"Good," Farkas sighed, "not sure I could handle changin’ now."

Anska giggled and hugged them both a little tighter. "My— _our_ mother is going to be so happy..." she whispered.

Farkas met Vilkas's eye over Anska's shoulder. "We have a mother," Farkas said a little stupidly.

"And a sister," Vilkas smiled in disbelief as well.

Lydia stepped forward like she was about to say something, and Vilkas grabbed her, and pulled her into the group hug.

All that was missing now was Duna, Farkas thought... 

Once they all stepped apart again, Lydia stayed beside Vilkas, his arm firmly around her waist. "You know," she smiled looking from Vilkas to Farkas, "this also means you’re the bloodline of Ysgramor..." 

Farkas just blinked a little stupidly as that slowly sank in too... for once he looked up to see his own dumbfounded expression mirrored on Vilkas's face.

They spent the rest of the evening talking, filling in the details... Anska confirmed that her— _their_ mother, had had blonde hair when she was younger, and she had light blue eyes, Farkas and Vilkas both figured that accounted for the memory they each had of a woman who looked like Anska with lighter blue eyes.

Farkas was excited... they knew who they were now... he couldn't wait to tell Duna.

"Now all that's left is to figure out why Kodlak thought you looked familiar," Vilkas sighed about an hour later with a still slightly surprised grin on his face.

"Kodlak thought I looked familiar too?" Anska asked in surprise.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "that was why he asked if you knew the name Aylette."

That reminded Farkas of their previous suspicion... "y— our mother... is she... a necromancer?" He asked uncomfortably.

"No," Anska shook her head firmly, "she told me she's never touched black magic a day in her life."

Farkas let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and it sounded like Vilkas did too.

"I don't know anything about the rest of her family though," Anska continued, "she was disowned by her parents..."

Vilkas and Farkas both raised their eyebrows curiously at that...

"She told me the first time she conjured an atronach her father thought it was necromancy and they disowned her."

"That... that could be it..." Vilkas said in surprise, "Kodlak told me his wife had an estranged younger sister who was a necromancer... if they just _thought_ she was a necromancer..."

"Kodlak's... our uncle?" Anska said with wide eyes.

"Guess we'd need to ask... our mother to know for sure," Vilkas shook his head, "but it fits..."

"We can go see her, yeah?" Farkas asked excitedly, "as soon as Duna's home... we can all go see her?"

"I think that would be wonderful," Anska nodded, excited as well.

"Aye," Vilkas agreed, "as soon as Duna is ready for a trip again."

Farkas grimaced and looked back to the eastern sky... he didn't like the thought that Duna was probably going to need time to recover from this fight... it made him worry again...

The air still had that heavy feeling like the whole world was holding its breath. Farkas wondered what she was doing now... was she fighting for her life? Actively saving the world while he sat here talking?

...He'd have so much to tell her when she got back...

"I'm sure she's fine, brother," Vilkas said gently.

Farkas realized he'd just been staring off to the east again. He took a deep breath and sighed. "I know," he nodded.

"Did you hear anything I just said?" Vilkas asked tiredly.

"You said we'd go when she's ready for a trip again?"

Vilkas sighed and shook his head. "No, I was trying to tell you not to worry. We know she has to make it back now, she's got more prophesies to fulfill."

"More prophesies...?" Farkas cocked his eyebrow in confusion, but then his meaning hit him... "The heir of Talos and Ysgramor!"

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "we're the descendants of Ysgramor," he added with a laugh. Then Vilkas punched Farkas's shoulder, "she has to come back so you can be the father of the legendary warrior that's going to save Skyrim next!"

Farkas just sat there blinking and feeling a little stupid as he tried to take all of this in...

He was an heir of Ysgramor...

He had been destined to find Duna and fall in love with her from the start...

The gods really were on their side... everything was actually going to work out... it had to...

But then another thought occurred to him. Did Duna even want a baby?

Farkas realized he certainly did... he wanted to see Duna have his kids... to settle down and raise their family... to train his children to be strong honorable warriors...

He desperately hoped Duna would be happy with that too... but he was afraid she wouldn't be... afraid she'd be afraid to take that next step... just like she'd been afraid to get married...

He might have to be patient with her again... but Farkas could do that, he decided...

"You're staring off again," Vilkas suddenly said, clapping a hand on Farkas's shoulder. "You're not listening again, are you, brother?"

"Huh?" Farkas looked back to Vilkas... he hadn't even realized he'd been staring off to the east again.

Vilkas sighed. "Alright brother, we should get some rest."

"I'm not goin' inside," Farkas shook his head.

"I expected as much," Vilkas sighed.

"We'll stay out here with you," Anska offered.

"Aye," Vikas agreed.

"I can even bring our bedrolls and camping gear out," Lydia offered, "we'll all keep watch."

Farkas looked in surprise at the three of them... he'd always had Vilkas's support... now he had a sister... and a probably future sister-in-law...

Soon his wife would be home and he'd have a wonderful, complete little family. He felt a little overwhelmed.

"Thanks," he smiled appreciatively at his family.


	65. Hircine’s Claim

Farkas felt like they were little kids again, sleeping outside in the back of Jorrvaskr, just like when Jergen had first begun teaching them how to set up camp...

But of course Farkas couldn't sleep now...

Duna wasn't in his arms, and the air still hung heavy around them... for several hours he couldn't sleep at all... he did doze off slightly for a little bit... but it was a light, fitful sleep... which meant when his latest recurring dream came, he actually remembered it clearly...

It was a dark, peaceful feeling mist, Farkas couldn't make out any actual scenery, but there were people— figures in the mist...

The peaceful atmosphere was suddenly shattered by one of the figures turning furiously to another, growling...

"Talos! I've had enough of you meddling in what's rightfully mine!" Hircine snarled, "I agreed not to claim your Dragonborn without her consent, even though she's mated to one of my beasts, but her child's choice has already been made. His father hunts for me; he will hunt for me!"

"He will not!" Talos replied irritably, "you forget your place, _daedra_. You have no right to be meddling with my heirs, I've had too much riding on this heir, and you're not going to taint him!"

"Your plans, and his lineage are irrelevant!" Hircine barked, "his father is mine; he is mine!"

"His father should never have been yours either!" Another figure became visible through the mists...

"_You_ forget your place, _mortal_!" Hircine growled at Ysgramor.

"It's a better place than yours, _beast_," Ysgramor snapped back with equal venom. "You've had your damned claws in my legacy far too long, I'll not tolerate you tainting my own bloodlines any longer!"

"They made their choice," Hircine replied, "they are mine, as are their bloodlines!"

"That wasn't their choice!" Ysgramor argued angrily... "they were barely old enough to be considered men, and they were tricked! Misled by the only family they knew and seduced with promises of power!"

"Irrelevant!" Hircine barked, "they still chose to hunt for me!"

"But _my_ heir did not," Talos cut back in, "she refused your beasts' offer, so you'll leave her and her child out of this!"

"But then she knowingly chose to be the mate of one of my beasts," Hircine snapped back, "and yet I still honored your wishes to leave her be, but her children will rightfully hunt for me."

"Unless my heirs find the way to be cleansed of your filth," Ysgramor grumbled.

"Sure," Hircine rolled his eyes, "but the one in her womb now has already been conceived with beast blood."

"Yes..." a deeper voice suddenly cut in, as the large, menacing dragon form of Akatosh materialized from the mists, "a fact I could easily remedy should I see fit to do so..."

"You wouldn't!" Hircine rounded on Akatosh indignantly.

"I haven't decided yet," Akatosh replied dryly, "I'm waiting to see how their choices play out... how they will shape the fates of the world..."

"Well, one thing has already been concluded," another voice cut in— the soothing motherly voice of Lady Mara, "the Dragonborn and Ysgramor's heir, have sworn themselves to each other, and I have bound them to walk together in this life and the next. You'll have to sort out if that will be the daedra's hunting ground, or Sovengarde, or somewhere else entirely," Mara concluded with a sly smirk.

Everyone but Akatosh just blinked at Lady Mara in surprise for a moment. Talos looked concerned, Ysgramor looked happy, and Hircine looked livid.

"You're not taking my Dragonborn to your damned eternal hunt," Talos said urgently rounding on Hircine again.

"That's not fair!" Hircine complained.

"More fair than how you had my boys tricked into joining your hunt," Ysgramor replied smugly.

"That is enough," Akatosh spoke up, sounding tired, "you're all still getting ahead of yourselves... I'm still waiting to see if she and the child will survive the fight with my first born..."

There was a boom of thunder and all the participants turned to look towards the source as the dream faded.

Farkas sat bolt upright, feeling like he was going to be sick. It was a dream, he told himself frantically. It was just a dream... he did not just let his pregnant wife fly off to fight the World Eater without him... right?

He hadn't doomed his child to serve Hircine by conceiving him before they'd been cured... right?

Farkas's mind ran back over the way she'd smelled even more like him over the last week, the way the scents seemed almost blended...

Farkas swore and clapped his hands to his head. How could he have been such an idiot? How had he not even considered this possibility?

He swore again, looking up at the eastern sky... the air still felt heavy... like all of reality was hanging in the balance... waiting on a single outcome...

Farkas got to his feet, running his hands uncomfortably through his hair. The heavy feeling in the air was making it difficult to breathe...

"Ysmir's beard brother..." Vilkas grumbled, sitting up. "What?" He asked, suddenly looking more alarmed than irritated as he woke up and saw Farkas pacing.

Farkas didn't know where to start... "Duna..." he said, throwing his hands in the air.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, eyebrows raised in confusion, "I know you're worried, brother, but..."

"Is beast blood passed down?" Farkas interrupted, "like from father to son?"

Vilkas's brow furrowed and his eyes widened in concern, "I don't know... it seems likely that it might... why do you ask?"

Farkas put his hands back on his head and grabbed fistfuls of hair...

"Why do you ask, brother?" Vilkas repeated firmly.

"I... uh... she..." Farkas took a deep breath, "she might be..."

"She what?" Vilkas asked, wide-eyed in concern.

Farkas just looked meaningfully back at Vilkas and watched his brother's expression shift as he realized what he meant.

"Ysmir's beard brother!" Vilkas exclaimed, "I thought you said you were being careful!"

"I thought you meant careful not to hurt her or somethin'!" Farkas groaned, dragging his hands back down his face as he began pacing again.

"For the love of Talos!" Vilkas clapped a hand to his forehead. "I didn't think I had to tell you where babies come from!"

"I know!" Farkas snapped, "I just... didn't think about it," he sighed. He felt terrible... he would actually be really excited if he weren't so worried about her being slowed down for her fight with Alduin... or about their child inheriting beast blood...

Actually, the idea of Duna being pregnant with his child made his beast blood stir with pride and excitement... but that was also making him sick with anxiety while he couldn't protect her.

"How could you not think of that??!" Vilkas was ranting, "what did you think was going to happen?"

"I didn't!" Farkas snapped again, "I said I didn't think of it— I didn't think anything would happen because I didn't think about anything happening!"

"By Ysmir..." Vilkas swore. "How... wait, if you didn't think about it, why do you suddenly think she is?"

Farkas told Vilkas about the dream he'd been having... about how they had all talked about a child that was already there... how Hircine had specifically mentioned that the child had already been conceived with beast blood...

Vilkas swore and ran a hand through his hair...

"I'd be happy if she weren't in Sovengarde," Farkas sighed, still pacing, "...and if it weren't for the beast blood," he grumbled.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, he looked at a loss for words, "I guess all we can do now is wait... and hope we can find a cure that also works on your new pup..."

Farkas could only groan and continue pacing... the waiting was going to make him crazy.


	66. The Dawn

Farkas passed the next several hours pacing like a caged animal. His wolf spirit was as nervous and restless as he was...

His mate— _wife_, he mentally corrected, was off fighting an epic battle over the fate of the world... most likely pregnant with his pup— _child_, he mentally corrected again... and he was stuck here, just hoping and waiting...

Vilkas tried at several points to reassure him, but neither Farkas, nor his wolf spirit was having it.

He was on high alert, taking in every faint scent on the wind, listening for every sound...

He could hear Lydia and Anska sleeping in their bedrolls under the porch... the slow, clinking step of the guards patrolling lazily in the streets...

Normally he should also hear and smell deer or elk grazing out on the Whiterun plains... or birds beginning to flit about in the predawn hours... or the wind blowing through the bare branches of the big tree in the center of town, but now almost everything was still... there was no wind, and the wild animals were all hunkered down somewhere... nervously watching just like he was. The stillness was nerve wracking.

Finally, only about an hour after Farkas first noticed the eastern sky beginning to get lighter, there was a loud crash of thunder, just like the one they'd heard the night before, but much closer. Farkas jumped. He heard Vilkas jump too as they both turned toward the sound with a start...

It came from the top of the Throat of the World...

Farkas stared up at the mountain... for several moments the only difference he was aware of was the sound of his own pounding heart... then he could see the silhouettes of dragons flying around the summit of the mountain...

"What's happening?" Lydia asked, sounding like she had just been startled awake.

"Is Duna back?" Anska asked eagerly.

"Listen," Vilkas replied, still staring up at the mountain as well.

There were several dragons circling the mountaintop now... and they all began chanting something...

Farkas suddenly realized the foreboding, heavy feeling in the air had dissipated as he saw the large red dragon that had carried Duna away flying back toward Whiterun.

His heart leapt excitedly, only to drop a moment later... Duna was not with him, but before he could despair, the dragon called out to him...

"Grohiikkiin! The Dovahkiin has triumphed! Alduin mahlaan!" The dragon announced in a booming voice as he swooped toward Jorrvaskr.

Farkas's heart jumped excitedly. He didn't know what half of those words meant, but 'the Dovakiin has triumphed' was definitely good news... and he recalled that Paarthunax had called him something similar to 'Grohiikkiin' when they'd first met him, so Farkas assumed the dragon was addressing him.

"Come Grohiikkiin," the dragon called, turning to swoop low, beside the wall, "I will take you to her!"

"What? Hold on—" Vilkas started to reply, but Farkas was already sprinting toward the dragon.

"Damn it brother, wait!" Vilkas yelled after him as Farkas vaulted off the wall, and landed solidly on the dragon's back, right in front of its wings.

He was dimly aware of Vilkas continuing to yell at him, but his attention was mostly occupied by hanging on for his life as the dragon took quickly back to the air.

Farkas had never flown before... he'd never imagined flying could possibly be something he could ever do... and he wasn't sure he liked it. His ears popped as they quickly ascended toward the summit of the Throat of the World. He'd never gone up in altitude that quickly before and it was dizzying. It felt like he'd left his stomach behind.

Before Farkas could give any further thought to his impending altitude sickness, the red dragon swooped between several other dragons circling the mountain top and landed in the snow.

Farkas was relieved to be on solid ground again, but the even bigger relief was the sight at the top of the mountain...

Standing in the center of the gathering, staring up at the dragons overhead, with her dragon scale helmet resting on her hip and her shoulder length hair whipping around behind her in the wind... was Duna...

Paarthunax was just taking to the air, pausing to say something else as Farkas jumped off the red dragon's back.

"Fare thee well, Dovahkiin," Paarthunax concluded in a friendly tone as he turned to swoop in a circle around the mountain top.

Farkas ran to his wife.

She turned with a start as he approached, but her face quickly shifted to a relieved smile, and she threw herself heavily into his arms as he reached for her.

She tucked her face against his neck and Farkas held her close, breathing in her scent, and listening to her heartbeat... that beautiful, strong heartbeat of hers...

She did it. She saved the world, and she came back to him.

He took another deep breath. She smelled like adrenaline, fire, and dried blood, but she also still smelled like him... his wolf spirit stirred excitedly. Could that really mean what he thought it did?

He wondered if she had any idea she might be pregnant... if she didn't now might not be the best time to tell her, Farkas realized... it might be overwhelming...

The way she leaned into his embrace felt like she could collapse if he wasn't holding her... she should probably get some rest before dealing with any major life-changing news...

"I'm so proud of you, love," he whispered against the top of her head.

She lifted her face and kissed him. He could feel her relief and exhaustion as he kissed back. He was thrilled to have her back in his arms. Everything was going to be ok now, he was sure of it.

The large red dragon who had carried her to Sovengarde said something in the dragon language as Paarthunax flew away, then turned back to them, clearing his throat. "I wish the old one luck in his... quest," he shook his head as Duna, still holding tightly to Farkas turned her attention back to the dragon. "But I doubt many will wish to exchange Alduin's lordship for the tyranny of Paarthurnax's 'Way of the Voice'..." the dragon sighed. "As for myself," he smiled at her, "you've proven your mastery twice over. Thuri, Dovahkiin. I gladly acknowledge the power of your Thu'um. Zu'u Odahviing. Call me when you have need, and I will come if I can."

"Thank you, Odahviing," Duna smiled tiredly, "and thank you for bringing my husband. But if you don't mind, I would ask another favor of you now..."

"Zu'u hin aar, Thuri," Odahviing replied, bowing his head.

"Could you please carry us back to Whiterun?" Duna smiled, "I don't think I can manage the walk."

"It would be my pleasure, Dovahkiin."

The dragon hunched down into the snow, and Farkas helped Duna climb on.

Odahviing flew much more slowly and gently this time, circling several times to descend slowly.

Farkas decided flying like this really wasn't so bad, it was almost relaxing... almost.

He held her close to his chest, breathing in her scent... "How're you feelin'?" He asked, gently resting his head against hers.

"Exhausted," she sighed, "happy to be back... glad it's over..."

"Ready to get a house and settle down with our family?" Farkas smiled hopefully.

"That sounds good," she nodded sleepily, and Farkas noticed the mention of family didn't phase her in the slightest...

"I have... a lot to tell you about," she added with a yawn, "but first... I could sleep for a week... and then eat a whole bowl of Tilma's beef stew..."

"We can handle that, love," Farkas replied with a soft chuckle, "anything you want... I’ve got stuff to tell you too, but it can wait till you’re rested." He kissed the top of her head... "you can rest now, I'm gonna take care of you," he promised.

Duna sighed happily, leaning against him as the dragon came in to land on the Dragonsreach porch... Farkas couldn't help but smirk as he heard Odahviing chuckle at the Jarl's men that all startled and scattered.


	67. The Heir of Ysgramor

Farkas quickly realized Duna had been running on nothing but adrenaline. Once he got her back to their room at Jorrvaskr she was ready to fall asleep on her feet. She was much too tired for that bowl of stew, but she managed a piece of bread while Farkas helped Tilma bring down a large wash basin so he could help Duna clean up.

As he got her armor off of her Farkas noticed she was painted with several more scars now... mostly more burns down her right arm— he also noted with silent relief that her abdomen, especially around her stomach didn't seem to have taken any damage...

There was one concerning set of scars across her lower left leg though... and it was her left boot that Farkas had found the most dried blood in... Farkas at first thought it looked like a dragon's fangs or claws had gone straight through the back of her leg and out at her shins, but there weren't matching scars on the back of her leg, just more burns...

"What happened here?" He asked as he gently wiped her leg down with a warm wash rag.

"That," Duna sighed sleepily, "is half the reason I'm so tired..."

Farkas raised his eyebrows attentively, waiting for her to explain.

"I got caught by one of Alduin's flaming boulders," she continued with closed eyes, "snapped the leg..."

Farkas paused, looking back at the scars on her shin in disturbed surprise as he realized those must have been where the bones had come through the skin...

"I used up all my magic three times getting that healed... still hurts a little when I put weight on it," she added with another sigh. "Would you believe," she began with a slight smirk, "that I killed Alduin with a fire-breath shout while hopping on one foot?"

"Really?" Farkas looked back up at her in awe...

She nodded, "he was pretty much already down before I broke my leg, but I couldn't sit still long enough to heal it until Alduin was actually dead."

"Wow..." Farkas whispered looking over her... he tried to imagine it... his nervous little rabbit, standing on one foot, shouting that huge black dragon out of the sky... no... not his nervous little rabbit, his bold little dragon...

Farkas was so proud of her... he could easily imagine that angry gleam in her eyes as she refused to be defeated... he could easily imagine her yelling curses and standing her ground against Alduin... against anything really...

But she looked like she was going to fall asleep in her chair now... Farkas smiled and gently lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bed and helped her pull her sleeping tunic over her head. Then he laid her down carefully before stepping aside to rid himself of his own armor and clean up himself too.

When he got back to the bed Duna looked and sounded like she was sound asleep. Farkas sat beside her and gently ran his hand up her thigh to rest at her lower abdomen... was his child really in there? It was a mind boggling thought to him...

He took another deep breath of her scent... gods he loved that scent... fire... wildflowers... honey... and now that hint of his wolffish musk...

Farkas leaned down to take in the scent better... he nuzzled against her, pushing her tunic back out of the way and running his nose and lips along her skin, breathing in that scent... focusing on it...

It almost smelled just like she usually did after they'd just made love, but it had been a while since they had, and the last several hours especially had been quite eventful...

He followed the scent to where it was strongest... at her lower abdomen... right between her hips... his heart began to race as he curiously turned his head and pressed his ear to the spot, hardly daring to breath as he listened...

For a moment Farkas was afraid he wouldn't hear anything over the sound of his own pounding heart, or over Duna's strong, steady pulse as she slept... would there even be anything for him to hear yet?

But then suddenly he did hear it...

It was soft, but unmistakable... the flutter of a tiny heartbeat...

Farkas's breath caught in his throat. The sound reminded him of the quick pulse of a mouse or a small bird...

...a _heartbeat_... a tiny, little life...

...a_ baby_...

..._their _baby...

It hadn't been just a dream... Farkas was a father... there was a new life, growing right here in his wife's womb...

Farkas froze in place as he just listened to that beautiful, amazing little sound... he'd wanted this... and he was absolutely terrified.

Were they ready? Would Akatosh cleanse their child of beast blood now that Duna had saved the world, or were they going to have to figure out how to parent a baby werewolf? He didn't even know how to parent a normal child!

What in Oblivion would that actually entail? Would the child come out looking like a wolf or a human? Would a baby werewolf be able to transform at will?

...Temper tantrums were going to be terrible...

"Farkas?" Duna’s sleepy groan suddenly pulled Farkas from his thoughts... "wh-what are you doing?" She asked blearily.

Farkas turned his head to find her looking down at him in half-awake confusion. He'd been so focused on the new heartbeat that he hadn't noticed her wake up. He hadn't wanted to surprise or worry her with this as tired as she was...

...but he couldn't lie to her...

"You smell like me," he told her with a soft smile.

She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, and sat slightly up, propped on her elbows.

Farkas wrapped his arms around her hips, "right here," he kissed her stomach, and looked up to see her reaction...

She blinked several times, clearly trying to process information she was too tired to deal with, but then her eyes suddenly widened...

"Y-you mean we're...?"

To Farkas's relief he heard the distinct hint of hope in the end of her question, and he desperately hoped he wasn't just imagining it...

"Mmhmm," he nodded, smiling affectionately up at her.

"So you... you were listening to...?"

"A tiny new heartbeat," Farkas nodded again with a grin before placing another kiss to her stomach.

"You can actually hear him?" Duna asked, unmistakably excited now as she slowly sat up.

"Yeah," Farkas chuckled, "or at least I could before your heart started racin' like that too..."

He was so relieved she didn't sound scared or upset. He shifted to sit up beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

Duna gave a soft chuckle of disbelief. "I... I didn't realize I was _already_ pregnant when..." she trailed off mid-sentence and suddenly looked up at Farkas with wide eyes that made Farkas raise his eyebrow curiously at her... "Farkas, I talked to Ysgramor," she told him seriously.

"You talked Ysgramor?" Farkas repeated, blinking in dumbfounded surprise...

"I did," Duna nodded, "I went to the Hall of Valor and met the old Nord heroes."

"That's... that's... wow..." Farkas blinked in amazement. He knew she'd gone to Sovengarde, and Vilkas had mentioned them, but Farkas hadn't imagined that meant she could actually meet and talk to ancient dead heroes...

"Ysgramor actually sought me out himself though," Duna continued, "Farkas," she smiled excitedly, "he told me _you_ are one of his descendants!"

Farkas grinned. That confirmed what they'd figured out about their relationship to Anska...

"And he said our son will be—" Duna stopped suddenly and cocked an eyebrow at him in confusion, "you don't look surprised..."

Farkas chuckled, "I'm not," he admitted, "not about being descended from Ysgramor at least. We figured out somethings while you were gone. That's what I was gonna tell you after you got some rest..."

"Well," she sighed with a tired smile, clearly trying to stifle a yawn, "give me the quick version for now..."

Farkas thought for a moment where he should begin... "Apparently," he shrugged, "somethin' about the way I told you not to worry before you left reminded Anska of her father," he explained, "so when she brought it up we talked about it and figured out Vilkas and I are actually her brothers... Anska thought we were killed by mages, but we think we actually got kidnapped by necromancers."

Duna looked at him in speechless surprise for several moments and Farkas had to resist the urge to chuckle...

"So... that's why she seemed familiar to both of you..." Duna nodded, slowly processing his words, "that... makes sense..."

"Yeah," Farkas grinned. "We were plannin' to go meet our mother when you felt up to a trip," he added.

She blinked several more times and then shook her head, "Farkas, y-you don't have to wait for me on this... you... you have a family... you should..."

"Uhn-uh," Farkas shook his head, "I've had a family. I'm not goin' anywhere without the most important _two_ members of it," he smiled and kissed her cheek as he moved his hand back to her lower stomach. "We can go in a week or so when you're up to it... after we buy our house and get settled..."

Duna let out a small laugh of disbelief and rested her hand on top of his.

"Oh that's right," she mumbled, "I was telling you... Ysgramor said our son will be the hero of that prophesy... the one to defeat the Dominion and restore Ysgramor's legacy and Tiber Septim's empire," she smiled as she leaned against him.

"Our son, huh?" Farkas smiled, looking back down to Duna's stomach, and he suddenly remembered that Hircine and Talos had also said 'he' when they spoke of the child...

"Our son," Duna nodded tiredly.

Farkas's smile widened into a grin... he had a son...

Now that Duna was in his arms, and she hadn't panicked or gotten upset at the thought of having his child, he felt much more confident about everything. He'd have to tell Duna about his dream and concerns about beast blood too, but that could wait until she was properly rested. He didn't want worry to keep her from resting.

It would be ok. There was nothing they couldn't handle, he was sure if it.

"Get some sleep, love," he smiled, "you're gonna need your strength."

Duna hummed in agreement as he kissed her forehead.

She leaned back and settled back into their bed and Farkas lay down beside her. She rolled to her side with her back to him and Farkas grinned as he wrapped his arms around her and held her with her back pressed to his chest.

She sounded like she was dozing off again, but then she suddenly sighed. "He's going to be a big baby, isn't he?" She said in a tired half-grumble.

"Probably," Farkas replied in a low tone. Then he placed a gentle kiss to the back of her neck and she sighed again.

"Everything I thought I wanted to avoid by running away," she sighed...

Farkas's heart clenched and he started to sit back up to look down at her, but then she giggled and continued...

"...turns out to be exactly what I want now that I have you..."

Farkas sighed in happy relief. "I'm glad, love," he whispered affectionately, "you're everything I want too."

She sleepily mumbled something that was partly incoherent but Farkas caught "love you..."

"I love you too, my little rabbit," he replied warmly, but she was already asleep.

Sleep found Farkas not long after, and instead of Hircine's angry complaints filling his dreams, he dreamed of the celebration they were having in Sovengarde now... celebrating and singing of the mighty Dragonborn and her amazing victory.

It was the most happy and peaceful dream he'd had since taking the beast blood... which made waking up to angry shouts and the clashing of steel all the more jarring...


	68. Silver

At first Farkas had thought the whelps had gotten into another fight, but as soon as he was actually awake he caught the scent of silver in the air and his blood ran cold.

"What the fuck?" Duna grumbled, waking up as Farkas jumped out of bed.

"I smell silver," he growled as he threw his armor over his head. He left the buckles undone and got his leg greaves strapped on in record time.

Duna swore angrily and scrambled out of the bed as well. Farkas was about to tell her to stay back, that he would protect her, but before he could say anything the door burst open and an unfamiliar man with iron armor lunged at him with a silver sword.

Farkas batted the man away with the dragon scale arm bracer he'd been in the process of putting on —a feat he knew would have been impossible with any other armor—and then one of Duna's summoned purple arrows flew into the man's face.

Knowing there was no time left for dressing, Farkas grabbed his shield and mace and stepped over the now limp body of his attacker. Then he shouldered his weight into his shield to shove back the next man that was trying to come through his door. He brought his mace down on the man's head and then let his momentum carry him out the door, stepping over the other body as he went.

He hadn't gotten to his boots or his other arm bracer, and his chest piece was dangling by the straps over his shoulders, but there wasn't time to worry about that...

"Stay here love," he growled over his shoulder. He heard Duna give a snort in return that he knew meant she had no intentions of staying put... which meant, he decided uneasily, that he had to buy time for her to get her armor on at least...

He charged across the hall to find two men in hide armor had kicked down Vilkas's door. Farkas caught one of them off guard and was able to make the man drop his sword by shield-bashing him, but the other man had enough warning to try and retaliate. The silver sword glanced off Farkas's arm bracer and cut just under his bicep... it wasn't a deep cut, and if the sword hadn't been silver Farkas would hardly have noticed it over his rage.

With an angry yell, Farkas pushed back harder with his shield, pinning the one man, and he got his mace up to bring down on the other Silver Hand's arm, then back up and down on his head. The Silver Hand who'd gotten Farkas with the silver sword dropped to the floor as his helmet caved in with a loud crunch. Then Farkas stepped back and dispatched the other man before he could retrieve his sword.

Farkas looked quickly around only to find the room otherwise empty.

Where in Oblivion was Vilkas?

He hurried back to the doorway to listen... this wasn't just a few intruders... this sounded like a full-scale attack... the Silver Hand must have brought the entirety of their forces for this assault.

Farkas was torn on what to do... normally his first reaction would have been to charge straight into the rest of the fray, to be the big, menacing one that drew the attention away from his shield-siblings and protected them all... but that would mean some of the intruders could get past him and get to Duna... he had to protect Duna, and they had to protect their son...

"Are there any more of them?" Duna asked angrily stepping out of their room behind him.

Farkas glanced back to see her wearing her armor draped over her shoulders and midsection, similar to how he was wearing his... at least her belly was covered, but she definitely wasn't armored enough for Farkas to be comfortable. On top of which, he knew she hadn't gotten enough rest, and her leg needed more healing... the idea of her fighting right now was absolutely terrifying.

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "but please stay back love," he begged.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my distance," she assured him as she nocked another arrow to her summoned bow... but then she stopped, dispelled her bow and her hands lit with gold. Her expression softened when her gaze met his. "I know you're worried about me," she said a little more gently as she cast the healing spell on him, "but I can't lose you. I promise I'll stick to shooting and healing."

"Alright love," Farkas sighed. He wanted to argue more... to tell her he didn't want her fighting at all, but then he heard Kodlak give an angry battle cry and he knew there was no time.

Farkas took off down the hall before Duna finished healing the silver wound... at least he wasn't still bleeding.

Duna resummoned her bow took off after him. Farkas tried not to get distracted by the sound of her limp as they ran to Kodlak's room.

Six Silver Hand had rushed into the Harbinger's room and caught him sleeping.

Even surprised and outnumbered, Kodlak had managed to grab his hammer and take down two of them. Suddenly flanked by Farkas, the remaining Silver Hand members didn't stand a chance.

"Are you alright, Harbinger?" Farkas asked quickly.

"Aye, thank you, boy," Kodlak nodded a little breathlessly, but Farkas could smell that he was bleeding.

Before Farkas could pay more attention to Kodlak's injuries though, there was a thundering shout of

"YOL TOOR SHUL!!!"

And Farkas bolted back out the door, frantic to get back to Duna's side.

To his relief he found that Duna hadn't been surrounded or caught up to. Her fire shout down the narrow corridor had taken care of three more Silver Hand that had tried coming up behind them. The whole downstairs was now filled with the stench of charred corpses.

Kodlak led the charge back down the hall and Farkas followed, with Duna behind him.

Farkas didn't think he'd ever been more stressed and nervous during a fight in his life.

They met a few other Silver Hand in the hall, but Njada, Athis, Torvar, and Ria had managed to hold off most of them. Farkas quickly smashed through one of them, while Kodlak smashed another with his hammer, and Duna shot the final intruder still standing downstairs.

Anska was healing a wound Tilma had sustained in the surprise attack, and it still sounded like there was a commotion upstairs.

Duna cast a quick healing spell on Kodak before he could charge up the stairs with everyone else behind him.

To Farkas's relief, they found Vilkas, Lydia, Vignar, Aela, and Skjor upstairs, battling the Silver Hand that hadn't made it down the stairs. Farkas hadn't realized Vignar could still swing a weapon, but the old man was holding his own. Vilkas and Lydia were back to back, defending each other, it looked like they'd been interrupted at the dinner table, and Skjor and Aela were at the front doors, seeming to be preventing any retreat.

There was a startling number of Silver Hand dead in the main hall, but about ten still standing. The smell of blood was thick in the air.

Upon seeing more Companions coming up from downstairs, one of the Silver Hand, a Breton in leather armor, began calling for a retreat, and he and three women in varying light armor pulled out bows to cover their retreat.

Silver tipped arrows flew. Vilkas managed to disembowel one of the retreating Silver Hand in heavy armor before he had to take cover, Farkas was struck in the arm by an arrow... the silver burned but he charged through the pain. A summoned purple arrow flew past him and struck the woman who'd shot Farkas directly in the throat and she dropped to the floor with a gasping gurgle.

Farkas was just catching up to one of the men in iron armor when another summoned arrow flew past him... it narrowly missed the Breton man and he retaliated firing a silver tipped arrow toward the stairs...

Farkas heard a hissed gasp of pain from Duna...

Time seemed to slow... he could smell her blood in the air... over all the blood already in the hall, he could pick Duna's out instantly and it made his blood run cold... and then boil into a rage...

Farkas's vision narrowed... he and his wolf spirit honing furiously in on that archer, forgetting everything else... that archer was going to die.

Every last damn one of them was going to die...

Farkas registered the pain in his chest that signaled the beginning of his transformation as his inhuman roar of fury echoed across the hall.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew transforming here would be bad... transforming with so little control in front of all the whelps and probably guards who would soon come to help would be very bad for all of them... Duna and his son included.

Farkas fought back against his wolf spirit and managed to regain just enough control to stay mostly human... but that was pretty much it...

He hadn't been so close to completely losing control since his first turning... he barely remembered how he'd smashed through the remaining Silver Hand...

The only thing on his mind was Duna.

She and their son wouldn't be safe until every last one of these damned werewolf hunters was dead...

He had to kill them... all of them... and he had to do it before any of them could hurt her again...

He had to keep them off of her so she could heal herself...

It was only one arrow... she would heal herself... right?

...So why did he still smell her blood?

Farkas came back to his senses with that Breton archer dead in his bare hands. He tossed the body aside and ran for the stairs.

He didn't care that the other whelps were watching him in confused horror as he scrambled past them.

Duna was sitting at the bottom of the stairs with Anska already at her side, helping to cast a healing spell...

The arrow had been removed from where it had apparently struck her in the thigh... but the wound was slow to heal, and Duna looked pained...

Farkas swallowed uncomfortably... it was healing just as slowly as any silver wound would... on a werewolf...

Duna looked up and met his eyes for a moment... she didn't look surprised or confused...

"Are you ok?" She asked, quickly getting to her feet. Farkas noticed she intentionally pulled her tunic to hide the injury on her thigh...

"I'm fine," Farkas shook his head, trying to calm his near panic as he looked over her... he could still smell her blood...

"Duna, wait, I wasn't done, you're still—"

"Anska, I'm fine," Duna interrupted, "my magics's recovered, thank you."

She hurried toward him, but faltered as she began taking a step up the stairs. Farkas lunged forward and caught her, but that seemed to make her cringe more.

"I hate how well I can smell the blood now," she winced quietly.

Farkas just looked at her in concerned confusion.

"How much of this is your blood?" Duna asked, looking over him in alarm as well.

"Oh, uh..." Farkas looked down... "not most of it... I think..." he assured her a little awkwardly. He was pretty well covered in blood... it was no wonder Duna looked a bit disgusted...

She sighed and began casting her healing spell as she turned back to Anska.

"Come on," she nodded at both of them, "Kodlak was hurt before he even got upstairs."

Anska hurried past them and, at Duna's insistence, Farkas helped Duna back up the stairs. He wanted to carry her back to their room, clean her up and put her back to bed, but she wasn't having it.

And then Farkas's blood finally calmed down enough to actually notice something besides his pregnant mate— _wife_, he mentally corrected as he tried to silence his wolf spirit more...

He heard Skjor yelling... ordering Torvar to go get the healers from the temple... then yelling at Njada to go to Arcadia for potions. Farkas began carrying Duna up the stairs more urgently... now he felt like he was in one of those nightmares where things were happening around him and he couldn't move quickly enough...

Getting back to the main hall, Farkas's eyes scanned the room... he let out a tiny sigh of relief upon seeing Vilkas... but that sigh got caught in his throat as he realized Vilkas was holding the limp, pale form of Lydia...

The smell of blood in the hall was overwhelming. Then Farkas saw Skjor trying to hold pressure to slow the bleeding in a wound on Kodlak's neck while Aela tried to help him drink a potion...

And Ria was trying to help Athis get a handle on a bleeding gash across his stomach...

"I've got Kodlak," Anska yelled quickly to Duna, "save Lydia!"

Duna's hands lit with gold as she jumped out of Farkas's arms and took off in a limping sprint with Farkas right behind her.

As they reached them, Farkas saw an alarming amount of blood that definitely belonged to Lydia covering both her and Vilkas. Vilkas was stubbornly attempting to pour a potion into her mouth but she was limp and unresponsive in his arms. It didn't look like there was anything a potion could do, but Farkas knew better than to tell Vilkas that... he just hoped Lydia could be stubborn too...

Vilkas dropped the empty bottle and looked up to Duna in hopeful desperation as she dropped to her knees beside them. Both brothers waited with baited breath as the gold light from Duna's spell wrapped around Lydia's still form...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the Dragonborn present and Skjor still alive I have this ordeal going very differently. Basically the course of the Companions’ story changed when Duna refused the beast blood.


	69. Wounds and Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Split this one into two chapters. Enjoy!

Vilkas had that distinctively angry look about him that Farkas knew meant Vilkas was blaming himself for something...

"What happened?" Farkas asked quietly while Duna cast her spell.

"She..." Vilkas took a deep breath, but didn't take his eyes off Lydia's still form in his arms, "she used her shield to cover me... which left her open when we were flanked..." he replied quietly.

Farkas just nodded... he knew no words would comfort Vilkas now. He rested a hand on Vilkas's shoulder and just waited, watching while Duna continued to pour the golden magic into her former Housecarl...

Duna had to drink a magica potion to keep casting the healing spell long enough, but Vilkas finally let go of the breath he'd been holding when the sound of Lydia's pulse met their ears. She wasn't gone.

It took Duna another magica potion to keep healing long enough for Lydia to open her eyes.

"A healing spell?" Lydia blinked in confusion, "a-are you a priest?"

"No, just your old Thane," Duna smirked, "welcome back."

Lydia blinked several more times, slowly seeming to realize where she was before her gaze finally focused on Vilkas.

"Lydia," Vilkas choked in relief as he pulled her back to his chest in an embrace.

"Vilkas, you're—"

"Why did you do that?" Vilkas interrupted her, "what were you thinking?"

Farkas distinctly recognized Vilkas's lovingly scolding tone... he hoped Lydia would understand it for what it was; the stress and fear of thinking he'd lost her... not anger...

"I..." Lydia looked startled for a moment, before looking genuinely up into Vilkas's eyes, "that if I lost you now I wouldn't find you in Sovengarde..." she whispered, "that I'd rather wait for you to join me than to let you go..."

"Lydia..." Vilkas breathed and tucked his head against hers... he said some more whispered words that Farkas could have easily heard, but he knew they were meant to be private so he intentionally didn't listen.

Farkas turned his attention instead back to Duna who was tiredly drinking another magica potion.

"You ok?" He asked gently. He still smelled her blood and it was keeping him on edge.

"Y-yeah," she nodded, getting back to her feet, "Lydia should drink a few potions, but I should be able to go help with Kodlak now..."

Farkas's heart lurched as he turned back to the Harbinger... had Anska not managed to heal him in all that time?

No... Farkas realized with dread, she was still casting... it seemed silver wounds on an old werewolf were going to take more time and energy to heal than normal...

He followed as Duna made her way to Kodlak... the Harbinger was sitting up on his own now... that was encouraging, but his wounds still weren't really healing...

Duna added her magic to Anska's, and Skjor was finally able to move his hand from the wound without it continuing to ooze blood.

Then Torvar got back with Danica who was wearing what was obviously a nightdress, looking very alarmed but somehow still half asleep. She took over tending to Kodlak and Farkas was finally able to convince Duna that she needed to get back to resting.

Rather understandably, Duna insisted Farkas clean up himself before she'd let him help her get back to bed, and before Farkas cleaned himself, he had to get the bodies out of their room. Farkas was now realizing one downside to fighting with a mace... it could get rather messy.

By the time they got all the cleaning done, it was daylight again outside.

As he made passes through the hall, hauling bodies and then cleaning rags and such, Farkas made note of the conversations as people explained to Danica and the guards what had happened.

The attack had apparently come not long after midnight. Kodlak and Vignar had each long gone to bed, but the whelps had only just, and Vilkas and Lydia had still been upstairs. Skjor and Aela had apparently caught on to the plans for the attack and tried to get back in time to warn everyone, but arrived just after the Silver Hand did.

Farkas knew he was going to need to go talk to the rest of the Circle and figure out what needed doing now, but not before he took care of and talked to Duna...

When he finally got back to their room, cleaned and in fresh pants, Duna was sitting in bed, wearing one of his shirts in place of her now dirty sleeping tunic and writing in her journal. Farkas was suddenly struck with relief at the familiarity... and he liked the way she looked in his shirt...

...and gods, how much he wanted her...

No, now was really not the time, he reminded himself... he needed to know that she and the baby were ok... and he needed to know why the silver had affected her like that...

She blinked tiredly up at him and gave him a small smile as she put the journal down.

"How you feelin'?" Farkas asked, sitting carefully beside her.

"Still exhausted," she sighed. "Is everyone else ok?"

"Think so," Farkas nodded, "sounded like the temple healers and the guards got everything handled now."

"That's good," Duna said, sounding relieved, "I know Lydia should be alright now, but I was really worried about Kodlak."

"Vilkas has Lydia, and Kodak's being taken care of," he assured her, "I'm more worried about you..."

"I'm ok," Duna smiled up at him, then she looked down and rested her hand on her lower stomach, still smiling. "I think Anska healed my leg the rest of the way," she added uncertainly, her gaze traveling over to her outstretched leg as she flexed her foot, "but that silver arrow gave me trouble..." she grimaced.

"I saw that..." Farkas nodded tensely, "is it healed now?"

"Yeah," she pulled up the shirt she was wearing so Farkas could see the now closed wound in her thigh... it was a more distinct scar than most of her others, but at least it was closed.

"So the silver burned you too?" He asked bluntly. He looked at her face, watching her reaction... she still didn't look surprised or confused...

"It did," Duna nodded, "and slowed my healing and magic recovery. I... I wasn't expecting it, but it didn't exactly surprise me either..." she explained sheepishly, "I... I'd noticed I was smelling things more intensely recently, and once we realized I'm pregnant, I guessed that's probably why..." she paused and looked back up to him still looking sheepish... "Ysgramor also told me lycanthropy can be passed down..."

Farkas nodded guiltily, "I was afraid of that..." he sighed sadly... "so you're..."

"I think _I'm_ still just Dragonborn," she shook her head, "or at least I haven't noticed any added werewolf powers."

"But the silver..." Farkas cocked his head in confusion...

"My guess is I'm reacting to it because of the baby," Duna shrugged, "I don't think I can do anything beyond smell better..."

Farkas's brow furrowed... trying to make sense of this and to take it all in... he hadn't thought she smelled like a werewolf... that was something he should have noticed, but...

"Can you hear my heartbeat?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Huh?" Duna raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Werewolves can hear, see, and smell better," Farkas reminded her, "the first thing I noticed after I turned was how much better I could hear... everything..."

Duna nodded in understanding and looked to be concentrating for a moment. Then she shook her head and met his eyes again. "I can't hear your heartbeat from here. I know I can with my head on your chest, but I'm pretty sure that's normal," she smiled.

"That's good," Farkas nodded. That was a relief... he hadn't unwittingly turned her...

It could make sense that if their son had the beast blood that Duna was affected by some of their weaknesses because of it...

That had to be it... which pretty well definitely meant he'd passed the beast blood on to their son. Farkas suddenly felt terrible...

"I'm sorry," he said heavily.

"Don't be," she said quickly leaning forward into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Farkas was quick to return the embrace... "regrets won't get us anywhere now," she whispered, "we're going to have a little baby boy in a few months, and I don't regret that. I've only known he existed for a few hours and I already love him."

Farkas sighed in relief at those words. "I do too, love," he smiled, but then with a sad sigh he added, "I just wish I hadn't given him my curse..."

"We'll figure it out," she said gently.

Farkas leaned back to look down at her... her beautiful encouraging smile... he marveled at how far she'd come from that nervous, uncertain, little rabbit...

"We will," Farkas smiled back at her, "you're smart and I'm stubborn."

"Exactly," Duna smiled too, "and I've figured out you're a lot smarter than you tend to let on," she added with a smirk.

Farkas chuckled... yeah, she had him figured out. He pulled her to his chest and wrapped her more tightly in his arms. He felt her smile as she hugged him tighter as well.

"I'm so glad you were my destiny," she whispered against the crook of his neck, making Farkas's heart jump happily.

So she’d realized just like he had that they'd been meant for each other from the beginning. They could handle anything.

"Me too... gods, I love you," he breathed and kissed the top of her head.

Duna just sighed happily and relaxed in his arms, and Farkas was content to just hold her. She sounded and smelled like she could be falling asleep again now.

He was finally beginning to calm back down when another thought occurred to him... she hadn't taken any damage to her belly at all, but what if the silver poisoning had gotten into her blood? Could that have hurt the baby?

"Can I try an' listen to him again?" Farkas asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Sure," Duna replied, stifling a yawn. She leaned back and laid down on the bed, pulling her shirt up with a sleepy smile.

...gods she looked sexy like that...

_Focus_, Farkas mentally scolded himself as he shifted back on the bed and leaned down, inhaling a deep breath of her scent.

She definitely didn't smell like a werewolf... and he could still smell their blended scent, strongly between her hips... he gently turned his head to place his ear against her lower stomach...

Several moments later he breathed a deep sigh of relief. The little heartbeat was still there, tiny but strong.

"His heartbeat sounds like a little bird's," Farkas smiled.

Duna hummed and nodded, she definitely sounded like she was falling asleep. Farkas placed a kiss to her stomach and sat back up. It was probably time for him to go see how everything else was going...

"Kodlak may have some ideas what we can do about the baby and the beast blood... if you don't mind me tellin' the news..." Farkas said quietly, hoping Duna wasn't too asleep yet... "I think I need to go talk to the Circle about the attack too."

Duna's eyes blinked open again. "Yeah, you can tell them. Do you need me to come too?" She yawned as she stretched and rolled onto her side.

"Nah," he shook his head, "you should rest. I'll come wake you up if anything big happens."

"Ok," she mumbled, "let me know what Kodlak says."

"I will, love." Farkas leaned back down and kissed her cheek. "Rest well, my little rabbit."

Duna smiled as he pulled their blanket up over her before heading out the door.


	70. Urgency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note to avoid potential confusion; this chapter was posted the same time as the one before it.

Farkas made his way to Kodlak's study just in time to find the temple healers giving Anska and Skjor instructions on how to continue caring for Kodlak's wounds and what symptoms meant they should send for another healer immediately.

Farkas stayed out of the way until they were gone, during which time Vilkas came in, and then Aela joined them once she saw the healers leave.

Kodlak was resting in his bed, and Skjor looked grim.

"Kodlak, I'm sorry..." Aela started quickly as soon as she got into the room.

Farkas looked at her in surprise, as she hurried to lean in Kodlak’s doorway. Farkas wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Aela sound quite that genuinely remorseful about anything...

"...if we'd gotten back sooner we'd—"

"Calm yourself," Kodak interrupted her gently, "there's no need for apologies, the blame lies with Silver Hand. Come, all of you," he motioned with a weak gesture of his hand, "I’m afraid I don’t have the strength to get out of bed."

Aela filed in and made her way around the bed to the corner at the far side of Kodlak’s bed. Skjor followed and stood beside her, Farkas stepped into the room and stood at the foot of the bed, and Vilkas stood in the doorway.

The room felt very crowded, and Farkas realized that despite all the healing spells and potions, he could still distinctly smell Kodlak’s blood... and his heartbeat sounded slow and sluggish. He and Vilkas exchanged a tense glance that told him Vilkas could smell and hear it too... Kodlak wasn’t doing well.

"I should have expected," Kodlak spoke up tiredly, breaking the tension in the room, "that when their plot to lure us in with the fragments of Wuuthrad began making them our targets instead that they'd resort to something more drastic."

"We're only missing two pieces now," Skjor nodded, "and I suspect they've got them. It's why they got desperate enough to attack; we were going to hit Driftshade next."

"If we had all the fragments..." Vilkas said suddenly looking a little awed, "Eorland could reforge the blade... we could—"

"We could enter the tomb of Ysgramor," Kodlak nodded. "But, I'm afraid I may not last to see it," he added with a shake of his head.

Skjor grimaced, but the rest of them looked back at Kodlak in alarm...

They'd misheard right? Kodlak couldn't mean what that sounded like... Kodlak was old, and he wasn’t doing well at the moment, but... but...

"Harbinger, you don't mean that..." Vilkas began uncomfortably.

"I've denied my transformations so long," Kodlak sighed, "Hircine's favor has left me.A werewolf should heal quickly and shouldn't be able to fall ill," he shook his head, "but I’ve been sick for a while, and now my wounds won't heal. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before Hircine drags me to his hunting ground. The healers don't expect me to last much longer."

"But we're so close to the cure," Vilkas protested, "you can't..."

"We'll get the cure before that," Farkas insisted. He felt like his heart had fallen into his stomach. After all the years and guidance Kodlak had given them... he couldn't just... fail... Farkas wasn't ready to face the idea of him dying at all, but at the very least he had to be cured first... he at least had to meet his wife in Sovengarde...

"I can only hope," Kodlak said with a sad smile. "In my dreams I still see visions of Sovengarde... but just before I was woken last night, I saw a vision of Ysgramor's tomb, where the souls of Harbingers will heed the call of northern steel... there is a fire in the main chamber where one's soul can be cleansed."

"Does that mean we don't have to deal with the Gelnmoril witches?" Anska asked hopefully, leaning in the doorway behind Vilkas.

"No," Kodlak sighed, "I have the feeling what we've concluded thus far is accurate. If we can slay the witches and retrieve the seat of their power, I believe the cleansing flames in the tomb should free us."

"So we gotta kill the witches and go to the tomb," Farkas spoke up anxiously. "We can do that now, right?" He asked looking around the room.

"I doubt it will be that simple," Kodlak sighed, "but yes, I think it is time to act, for me at least."

"I'll set out for Driftshade first thing tomorrow," Skjor volunteered with a nod.

"And I'm going with you," Aela announced firmly.

"Don't think they need you to go after witches?" Skjor raised his eyebrow at her.

"Not more than you need me for back up," Aela shook her head and crossed her arms.

"You're not gonna let me go anywhere alone again, are you?" Skjor sighed.

"Not after your stunt at Gallows Rock," Aela replied sternly.

"What happened at Gallows Rock?" Vilkas asked curiously. Farkas listened as he noticed Kodlak raise an eyebrow in curious concern at the pair as well...

"He got ahead of me and got surrounded," Aela answered looking back to Skjor accusingly.

"I would have been fine," Skjor grumbled, "I had it handled."

"You would have been dead if I hadn't caught up when I did," Aela snapped back. "Your bad eye is getting worse. You ran straight into Krev’s trap."

Skjor sighed grumpily and rolled his eyes.

Farkas could tell this was a fight they'd had several times already...

"Skjor," Kodlak said warningly, "listen to your mate, boy. If I'm going to name you Harbinger when I'm gone I need to know you've got the head on your shoulders for the job..."

"Yes Harbinger," Skjor sighed, looking chastised.

"Don't go alone," Kodlak said firmly, "don't underestimate our enemies. We have shield-siblings for a reason. I want you to survive long enough to take the mantle."

"I understand," Skjor nodded, "but it will take twice as long if we have to go to Driftshade and then to fight the witches."

"You're not the only ones who can go," Vilkas raised his eyebrow indignantly, "we're the ones looking to be cured anyway, Farkas and I can go after the witches."

Farkas raised his eyebrow too... normally he would be eager to agree with Vilkas... part of him was excited at the prospect of going out on a dangerous mission with his brother again...

But he certainly wasn't ok with bringing Duna on such a mission right now— preferably not while she was pregnant, but definitely not before she'd recovered... could he handle leaving her behind? Would she be safe?

If she was recovered he was sure she could take care of herself... she'd killed Alduin while pregnant, gods help anyone who attempted to hurt her once she'd recovered from that...

If Lydia and Anska stayed with her, he was sure they would be ok...

But how was Lydia? Did Lydia need to recover first too?

Farkas suddenly realized he'd gotten lost in his thoughts while Kodlak was speaking again...

"...their heads are the seat of their power, I expect we'll need one for each of us that wishes to be cured."

"So we need, what, three witches heads?" Vilkas looked around the room.

"You two and Kodlak," Skjor nodded, "I understand the desire for Sovengarde, but I still enjoy this gift, and I look forward to Hircine's eternal hunt."

"Every woman in my family has walked this same path," Aela replied, "I've never wanted anything different."

"And that is your choice," Kodlak nodded, "I'm glad we've all finally come to an understanding and can respect each other's wishes on this." Then Kodlak looked back to Vilkas, "yes, it appears there are three of us seeking the cure, so—"

"Actually," Farkas spoke up, "it might be four..."

All eyes in the room turned toward him in surprised confusion...

"Duna's pregnant, and we think the baby has the beast blood too."

It was the second time in his memory that Farkas had shocked the whole Circle to speechlessness.


	71. The Deer that Impales Wolves on His Antlers

Farkas explained to the Circle how Duna didn't seem to have the beast blood herself, but that her silver wounds had been slow to heal. Kodlak agreed with their assessment that that probably meant their son was a werewolf too.

Once the shock wore off Kodlak was actually very happy for them. Then he'd lamented that he wouldn't live to see their son be born, which felt to Farkas like a punch to the gut... and reminded them all that they needed to hurry with the cure. He and Vilkas agreed they'd leave the next morning.

Duna woke again around dinner time and Farkas filled her in on everything while she hungrily devoured a bowl of Tilma's beef stew.

Farkas wasn't sure who'd told Tilma their good news, (he suspected she might have just eavesdropped) but the old woman was busily making sure Duna got all the food she needed. After Duna finished her stew Tilma brought her a mug of warm milk and some grilled leeks, telling them that greens and milk would be good for the baby.

Lydia had had enough potions and healing spells to be fully recovered, and had only spent the day resting to make Vilkas feel better.

Farkas felt a little better about leaving to hunt the witches knowing that Duna would definitely have Lydia to back her up if anything did happen.

Duna wasn't especially happy at the thought of him going without her, but she was considerably more upset by the news of Kodlak's worsening condition. She assured Farkas that she understood the urgency, and would do what she could to help Anska take care of Kodlak while the Circle members were gone.

Farkas made the most of one more night in bed with Duna before he had to leave with Vilkas in the morning.

It pained him to walk out of Jorrvaskr without Duna... especially with the worried look in her eyes as they'd said their goodbyes...

"Don't worry, my little rabbit," Farkas smiled as he kissed her goodbye, "we'll be back soon. Stay safe, and take care of our little bird..."

Duna smirked at that. "I will," she nodded, leaning up to give him one more hug. "I love you, my wolf," she whispered against his ear.

"I love you too," he replied before pulling away.

Vilkas seemed to have just as much trouble leaving Lydia behind. Farkas tried not to listen to their private exchange, but he did catch Vilkas tell her, "_please_ be careful, my love."

With that, they’d walked quickly out the front doors and began making their way quickly to the stables. Most of Whiterun's citizens stopped and regarded the twins in surprised alarm as they walked through the streets. Several people hurried to get out of their way. Farkas was sure neither of them looked happy... judging by the reactions they got, they were probably quite the fearsome sight...

...Two of Jorrvaskr’s most formidable warriors, decked out in their full armor and weapons, hurrying angrily down the street... it was no wonder they turned a few heads. 

The stable master eagerly rented Vilkas a large, mostly black, bay gelding that was about the same size as Boy. Farkas took Boy, leaving Dapple behind in case Duna needed her. Farkas felt bad as Dapple whinnied after them.

Vilkas was quiet and upset looking most of the day, and they road west in relative silence. Which left Farkas to his own thoughts...

He felt overwhelmed... all the things they'd been supposed to do to celebrate Duna's triumph... it was all on hold now... and Kodlak...

Kodlak likely wouldn't live to see the celebrations... he wasn't going to get to see their child...

It just wasn't right...

They should all be at Jorrvaskr celebrating the death of the World Eater right now... Kodlak should be at the head of the table, proudly making a toast to Duna... Duna Stormcaller, the Dragonborn— the Companion who'd saved the world...

Farkas would get his lute out and play that new song the bard had written about her... they would announce that they were going to have a baby...

It should be a happy time...

They should be making plans to move into their new house to prepare for the birth of their son...

They should be going with Anska to meet their mother... they should be having an exciting family reunion...

And instead they were racing to find their cure before they lost Kodlak. There was no guarantee there even would be celebrations now. Farkas didn't think he could accept that the old man was dying. It was just all wrong...

They didn't stop till nightfall, and based on the map, Farkas was pretty sure they were only an hour's ride south east of where Vilkas believed the witches' lair to be.

Vilkas still looked tired and lost in thought as they set up camp.

"You ok?" Farkas asked once he got the fire lit.

Vilkas sighed. "I don't know, brother..." he shook his head as he sat down beside him. "Twice in the last few months I've held someone I love, seemingly dead in my arms... and now Kodlak..."

Farkas nodded understandingly. He felt a little guilty knowing he was part of what troubled his brother, but he wasn't surprised that Lydia's close call had upset him. Farkas certainly understood what he meant about Kodlak... "I'm sorry for that..." he sighed.

"I know," Vilkas replied simply, staring into the fire.

Farkas took a deep breath, "and Kodak..." he continued, "just doesn't seem like it can be real," he shook his head, "Kodlak's always been there..."

"Aye," Vilkas nodded sadly, "he saw the worth in us even back when Jergen first arrived with us... and spoke up for us when Jergen left... remember that?"

"Didn't Vignar wanna send us to the orphanage?" Farkas recalled.

"He did," Vilkas nodded, "said Jorrvaskr was for warriors, not children. Kodlak said we'd already proven we had the hearts of warriors." Then Vilkas smiled, "when Anska and I told him we'd figured out that we were related he said he wasn't surprised, but we would have been great warriors with or without a legendary heritage."

"Sounds like somethin' he'd say," Farkas nodded with a smile.

"Poor Anska just learned she has an uncle only to learn she's going to lose him so soon," Vilkas sighed sadly.

"Yeah," Farkas agreed, "but at least she's got brothers now too... and a sister-in-law, and... probably gonna be another sister-in-law..." Farkas elbowed Vilkas in an effort to lighten the mood.

Vilkas shrugged and gave him a slight smile. "If I have anything to say about it..."

"Which you do," Farkas cut in.

"She'll definitely have another sister-in-law," Vilkas nodded. "As soon as I'm cleansed... I'll ask Lydia."

"And we know what she'll say," Farkas smiled.

"Unless I do something really stupid between now and then," Vilkas chuckled.

"Which you won't," Farkas grinned.

"Hopefully," Vilkas sighed. "What are you planning to do after our cure?"

"Get a house and take care of my family," Farkas shrugged. "Already promised Duna we'd get a house after she beat Alduin, and we'll need to get ready for the baby."

Vilkas nodded thoughtfully, then, "you're going to leave the Companions?" He asked. He looked more curious than surprised or upset.

"Hadn't really planned on it," Farkas shook his head, "will if I need to, but I thought we'd just live nearby so I could still come back to Jorrvaskr when I can."

Vilkas nodded again. "Settling down..." he sighed... "not something I ever imagined I'd want... glory in battle has always been everything I thought I wanted, but after these last few months..."

"A break would be nice," Farkas supplied understandingly.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "I've never had a problem risking my life for honor and glory... not to mention coin... but my loved ones' lives, that's a different story." He sighed, "maybe working a little homestead for a while, somewhere out of town would be nice... to just settle down and have peace for a while..." Vilkas trailed off with a fond smile.

"Duna and I were thinkin' of buyin' that house down by War Maiden's while we save up for buildin' a homestead," Farkas explained.

"The place by War Maiden's would be nice," Vilkas agreed. "I guess you will have to take a bit of a break to raise your child if nothing else..."

"Yeah," Farkas smiled too, "haven't thought of much beyond that yet, but Duna and I did talk about buildin' a big house..."

"Big enough to need a steward and a housecarl?" Vilkas asked with raised eyebrows.

"Possibly," Farkas smirked, "why, you know anybody interested in those jobs?"

"I might," Vilkas chuckled, "there's a nice plot for sale on the border between Whiterun Hold and Falkreath," Vilkas smirked, "you could build a proper manor by the lake... we'd still be close enough to come do jobs for the Companions on occasion."

"You might just have to help me build it," Farkas chuckled.

"Aye," Vilkas laughed, "someone has to make sure it gets done properly."

Farkas and Vilkas talked for another hour before finally laying down for a little rest. Even though their conversation had turned to lighter topics, Farkas felt somber once the quiet fell between them. He tried to focus on the crackling of the fire or the sounds of torchbugs and other insects in the night, but he still couldn't relax. He was restless without Duna, and worried about Kodak.

After a couple of hours, Farkas finally managed to slip into that partial sleep that made his dreams very vivid...

It was the peaceful seeming mist again... Farkas recognized it from his last recurring dream... at first it seemed like the same dream again... Talos was there, and so was Akatosh... but then Farkas realized Talos was the angry one now...

"You said you'd cleanse my heir if my Dragonborn was successful!" Talos complained to the giant dragon form of Akatosh. "She killed the World Eater, why is her child still cursed?"

"I didn't say I would cleanse the child," Akatosh replied dryly, "I said I could if I saw fit... I'm curious to see what Ysgramor's heirs will do now. Hircine was quite adamant that if the father has beast blood the child will too... I think the reverse is fitting as well..."

Talos humphed grumpily as the dream suddenly faded to something new...

There was still a thick mist, but now Farkas felt like he wasn't just a spectator... he definitely seemed to be in a forest. At first he thought he was in his beast form, but then Farkas realized it was more than that... he was on all fours more like a normal wolf.

And then he sensed Hircine...

Hircine was in his own massive wolf form, towering over Farkas, approaching in what Farkas could immediately recognize as a show of dominance...

Farkas tried to stand his ground... he didn't want to submit... but in the dream he wasn't fully in control, and his wolf spirit cowered before it's master. Farkas hated it...

Even with the wolf body being submissive, Hircine continued to advance on him aggressively. He pounced on him and pinned him to the ground, snarling with his teeth at Farkas's neck.

"_You are mine_," Hircine growled angrily. "Your soul belongs to _me_! _You_ chose this. I gave you my blessing and strength and you hunt for _me_."

As Hircine spoke their forms suddenly shifted. Farkas was a man again, with Hircine's equally monstrous man-beast form holding him by the throat, pressing him into the ground. Farkas was in control of himself again, but Hircine was three times his size and pinning him. Farkas couldn't breath... he clawed frantically at Hircine's hand, but the daedra didn't loosen his grip.

"You are _nothing_ without me," Hircine snarled, shaking him slightly, causing Farkas to see spots. "Do you understand? There is no cure for my gifts. You _will_ join me in my sacred hunting ground. If you continue to refuse my favor you will become nothing but a _deer_ that I send my hounds after."

The threat made Farkas even angrier...

"That's not... what Akatosh... or Mara... said..." Farkas choked out defiantly.

Hircine gave a furiously snarl at that and lunged forward, suddenly back in his wolf form. Farkas felt the sharp, then tearing pain of teeth sinking into his throat and crushing his windpipe as he woke up.

Farkas sat bolt upright, gasping for air and clutching his throat, finding Vilkas startling awake in a similar manner. The brothers exchanged mirrored concerned and angry looks while they each caught their breath. For several moments neither of them spoke.

Farkas felt his throat, and took several deep breaths, making sure it hadn't actually been ripped out. He was uninjured, but he felt like it took too long to catch his breath.

"I see we've angered Hircine..." Vilkas said, still a little breathlessly.

"Yeah," Farkas grumbled bluntly.

"I take it he tried to threaten you into not continuing," Vilkas said, watching Farkas carefully.

"He tried," Farkas nodded, "said we’re nothing without him and somethin’ like we'll be the deer he sends his hounds after..."

"Aye, that's what he told me too," Vilkas sighed.

"I told him that wasn’t what Akatosh and Mara said," Farkas replied with a grim smirk.

Vilkas gave a half-hearted chuckle, "I told him if I became a deer, then I'd be the deer that impales wolves on his antlers..."

"That’s good," Farkas nodded with a weak chuckle.

"Aye, well," Vilkas shrugged, "Hircine didn't think so..." he added, uncomfortably rubbing his own throat.

"He didn't like my response much either," Farkas nodded, still holding his own throat too.

Vilkas just nodded and they sat in silence another moment.

"The sun will be up soon," Vilkas pointed out a few moments later, "how about we go prove him wrong and kill some witches?"

"Let's go," Farkas nodded eagerly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Holiday chaos is upon us I can’t commit to my usual update schedule, but I will hopefully get the next chapter up before New Years.  



	72. The Witches’ Den

Farkas didn't really get time to think on or even just process his dream and nightmare. Their adrenaline spurred them on and the brothers made better time than Farkas had expected.

They tethered their horses nearly a mile back so they wouldn't get caught up in any of the fight if they ended up luring the witches out, and approached the cave just as the sun was coming over the horizon.

It looked like a witches' den... it was a dark, crack in the side of the mountain with a brazier on either side of the entrance, the skulls of several sacrificed animals strewn about, and a gnarled, dead looking tree in front.

The brothers had both been on high alert since Hircine's threat and Farkas could smell the stench of death as they climbed the small mountain trail. It also smelled and sounded like all normal wildlife stayed far away from this place.

"Alright," Vilkas said quietly, "this smells like it... likely we'll be dealing with hags..."

"Mmhmm," Farkas agreed, readying his shield and mace. He was pretty sure he could smell the foul creatures from there. "Smells like trolls too," Farkas noted a moment later.

"Aye," Vilkas agreed, "and its likely the hags will be using long ranged, magic attacks," he continued.

"I know," Farkas nodded, shifting his grip on his shield. "So I cover us while we rush in close?"

"That could work," Vilkas nodded thoughtfully

"Alright then," Farkas nodded.

"Wait brother," Vilkas paused.

"Huh?"

"We need to retrieve their heads," he reminded him, looking pointedly at Farkas's mace.

"Oh..." Farkas looked at his dragon bone mace as well... it was good for smashing skulls... it really didn't decapitate cleanly...

"I saw what that did to most of the Silver Hand that crossed you," Vilkas added, "there certainly weren't heads to retrieve."

"Yeah," Farkas sighed, "it's my best weapon, but it does make a mess..."

"Have you got a sword on you?" Vilkas asked with a tired sigh.

"Got my old great sword," he grumbled, opening his gear pack... "can't use the shield so well with that tho— oh..." Farkas stopped and chuckled as he pulled out his Falmer lightning staff.

"What in Oblivion is that?" Vilkas asked looking at the hideous thing in disgust.

"Falmer staff," Farkas replied, "it shoots lightning."

Vilkas just blinked at him looking dumbfounded for a moment, "you've got..." he stopped and shook his head, "you... you don't mean to tell me _you_... shoot lightning...?"

"No, the staff does," Farkas replied bluntly.

"But you wield it?" Vilkas asked in disbelief.

"Yeah... it's just a weapon," Farkas shrugged, he handed the staff to Vilkas who took it hesitantly and then held it as he would a rotting skeever corpse.

"Just a weapon," Vilkas repeated. He looked at Farkas as if he'd just said dragons were 'just a nuisance.'

"It is," Farkas insisted, "you don't need to know or use any magic, you just point and shoot."

"Point and shoot," Vilkas repeated, "you can't be serious..."

"I am, try it," Farkas insisted.

"On what?"

"I don't know, something that way so the hags don't hear us." Farkas pointed back away from the cave.

"I still don't understand how it's supposed to—" Vilkas stopped mid-sentence as the staff tilted forward as he turned with it and Farkas had to quickly duck to avoid taking a lightning bolt to the face.

"Ysmir!" Vilkas swore as lightning arced around the gnarled tree behind Farkas.

Farkas snatched the staff back with an irritated grunt.

"Apologies..." Vilkas grumbled sheepishly. "I don't like it," he added glaring at the staff.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't suggestin' _you_ use it," Farkas replied flatly. "It'll be useful. Lightning is good for slowin' down magic users." He pulled out his other staff,"and trolls don't like fire," he continued holding up the carved gold staff for Vilkas to see, "I can hit the witches with lightning and the trolls with fire, and that should keep 'em all busy enough for you to cut heads off..."

Vilkas just blinked at him in uncomfortable disbelief for several moments, then, "Ysmir's beard..." he clapped his hands to his forehead and rubbed his temples like he had a headache.

"What?" Farkas asked in exasperation, "they're just weapons, ranged weapons good for takin' on big stuff."

"My brother is fighting with magic..." Vilkas grumbled in disbelief.

"They're _just weapons_," Farkas repeated again.

"_Magic_ weapons," Vilkas retorted.

"And? Our mother an' sister are mages," Farkas pointed out rolling his eyes as he put the fireball staff back in his pack.

"A fact we only learned a few days ago, and they're not Companions," Vilkas replied in exasperation.

"I'm just bein' practical," Farkas grumbled, "it's either this and my shield," he gestured with the Falmer staff— being careful not to activate it, "or the mace and my shield, or we go in without cover."

"Fine," Vilkas groaned. "You can control that thing well enough to not shoot me, right?"

"I can," Farkas nodded evenly.

"Alright," Vilkas sighed, "so you cover us while we go in, I'll rush them as soon as I can gage the situation, and you... I guess back me up with that..." Vilkas looked uncomfortably at the Falmer staff again.

"Alright then," Farkas agreed.

The brothers took another moment to ready themselves and their weapons and then, with wordless, shared nod, they advanced into the the cave.

The stench of death and decay was overbearing. Before Farkas even pinpointed the source of the hag's stench, a massive fireball launched into them, lighting the entire cave entrance with the explosion.

Farkas was glad they'd gone in with his shield first or this mission would have been over before it started... as it was, it had given them a serious disadvantage. Now all he could smell was fire and his own singed hair and skin, and his eyes were no longer adjusted to the dark.

"Ah, the beasts return..." a disturbingly birdlike but still womanlike voice croaked in the shadows.

Aiming toward the sound of the awful voice, Farkas launched a lightning bolt. To his relief the hag screeched, and they saw her stumbling backwards. She clearly hadn’t expected lightning. The hag moved to cast at them again, but the spell failed as the lightning arched around her. Then Vilkas rushed forward with his sword and the hag went for him with her claws instead.

"Your blood belongs to us, Companio—" the hagwas cut short as Vilkas cleaved into her with his sword.

"Alright," Vilkas sighed as the hag's body fell limp, "that was... effective."

"Mmhmm," Farkas nodded, resisting the urge to say 'told you.'

Vilkas looked like he was about to say something else, but they both turned with a start as they heard the trolls approaching.

Farkas swapped to his other staff and his mace, and the brothers charged forward.

Farkas only threw one fireball of his own before he realized the fire was keeping his eyes from readjusting to the dark, and now the stench of burn troll was causing additional confusion for his nose. He didn't like not being able to pinpoint his enemies like this...

If he transformed he'd have the advantage again... he'd be a beast that could tear these trolls and hags to pieces... he could...

No... that was his wolf spirit thinking... he wasn’t going to let Hircine control him.

Farkas dropped his staff and swung his mace into the advancing charred troll.

The troll he hit stumbled back and dropped to the ground, leaving room for a second one to slam a massive hand into Farkas's side.

It didn't hit as hard as a dragon... Farkas was only thrown a few feet. He was pretty sure he'd cracked a couple of ribs, but a potion would fix that.

"That's it?" Farkas taunted, "that's all you got?"

The troll roared and rushed at Farkas... and didn't see Vilkas...

Vilkas lunged forward, cleaving one of its arms clean off and continuing the momentum into its head.

Farkas closed his eyes for a moment, listening for other movement and trying to get his eyes better adjusted to the dark. It didn't sound like anything else was in the main chamber with them, but he could hear movement further down in the caves.

"Are you alright, brother?" Vilkas grunted as he pulled his sword from the dead troll.

"Yeah," Farkas replied. He blinked his eyes open and found he could see shapes in the dim light again. "The burned smell is messin' up my nose though," he added in irritation.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "mine too. I'm glad she didn't manage to cast that spell more than once."

Farkas grunted in agreement as he dug a healing potion from his pack. He took a sip... and felt his energy surging back... with a sigh he put that one back and grabbed another. He really needed to start labeling these things with raised wax... or something he'd be able to feel when it wasn't as easy to see the difference...

Farkas managed to drink a healing potion next and the pain in his ribs eased along with the burns across his arms.

Vilkas drank a couple potions as well before they continued down the first tunnel.

It was a long, difficult morning. The hags made Farkas's hair stand on end, even after they were dead.

They were nearly roasted by fireballs twice more, but the brothers found their routine after that. Farkas would hit the witch with lightning and then both he and Vilkas would rush her before she could recover. Farkas smashed arms and legs with his mace, and Vilkas cleaved heads clean off with his sword.

After what probably felt like longer than it was, all five of the Glenmoril witches were dead, and the brothers were walking out of the cave, a stinking bag of heads tucked carefully into Vilkas's enchanted pack.

"Are you up for traveling back?" Vilkas asked tiredly.

"Yeah," Farkas nodded. The sun was only a few hours over the horizon, but it felt like they'd had a full day already.

"Good," Vilkas sighed. He pulled out at stamina potion and downed it. "I don't want to risk resting while Hircine is so cross with us..."

"Me neither," Farkas agreed, pulling out and finishing the rest of his stamina potion from earlier, "he's probably more mad now..."

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, and they set off eastward to to collect their horses.

They rode all day and didn't stop for the night. Most of the day Farkas's mind bounced from Duna to Kodlak, hoping— praying they were both still ok.

They arrived back in Whiterun Hold just after midnight. The stench of burned corpses hit them half a mile from the city and it spurred them nervously onward. They arrived at the city in a full gallop, startling the stable hand and night watch.

There was an uncomfortable silence about the town. The guards had taken the bodies of the Silver Hand out to the plains and burned them... which Farkas figured accounted for why all the wild animals were gone, but not the nervous air in the city. The only sounds to be heard was the steady running of the water through the city and the striking sound of a hammer on metal.

Farkas recognized well the sound of Eorland at his forge, but it wasn't a sound he expected to hear at this hour.

The brothers practically sprinted through the streets up to the steps of Jorrvaskr.

Aela was just coming outside and looked up with a start as she opened the doors and caught the brothers' scents.

"Good, you're back, we— you two look awful," Aela stopped mid-sentence, looking at them in mild alarm.

"Aye, well, you should see the hags," Vilkas retorted as they hurried inside.

In the light of the mead hall Farkas suddenly noticed how charred and covered in soot and grim Vilkas was... he imagined he looked the same.

"What's happening here?" Farkas asked urgently.

"Skjor and I got back this afternoon," Aela explained as she led them to the living quarters, "Eorland's been working to reforge Wuuthrad since then. Kodlak's... not doing well..." Aela's voice dropped as they opened the doors downstairs. "Duna and Anska have kept him alive, but I don't know how much longer he can last."


	73. “Prepare to Journey to the Tomb of Ysgramor...”

They followed Aela hurriedly to Kodlak's chambers. Skjor was sitting in Kodlak's study looking frustrated and stressed as he read through some of Kodlak's notes.

Duna was leaning half-asleep in a chair at the foot of Kodlak's bed. Farkas wasn't sure he'd ever seen her look so drained and tired... her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes. It was alarming... but more alarming was the pale, still form of Kodlak laying in his bed.

Skjor looked up as Vilkas and Farkas entered. "Ah, good," Skjor said sounding relieved, "you got the witches' heads?"

"We did, they're all dead," Vilkas nodded as Farkas continued past him toward Duna.

Vilkas and Skjor continued to discuss, but Farkas wasn't listening as he stepped into the Harbinger's room and gently reached down and took Duna's hand.

"Farkas?" Duna woke with a start.

"I'm back," Farkas nodded, kneeling down beside her chair.

"Oh thank the..." she blinked as her eyes focused on him, "divines... you look awful... are you ok?" She sat up straighter and reached for him. One of her hands lit with gold as she gently cupped his cheek.

"I'm alright," Farkas smiled, "got a little cooked by a fireball, but we handled it."

Her spell faded and Farkas felt like he'd just drank another healing and stamina potion together.

"You look like you got more than a little cooked," she grimaced as she ran her hand back into his hair.

"Nothing some potions, spells, and a good wash won't fix," Farkas shrugged, and Duna raised her eyebrow a little skeptically. "Are you ok?" He asked, nervously looking her over.

"I'm fine, just tired," Duna assured him. "Kodlak is..." she trailed off worriedly as she looked back to the bed.

Farkas turned back to Kodlak as well to find the Harbiger blearily opening his eyes at the sound of his name.

"Don't fret over me yet," Kodlak said with a tired sigh as he closed his eyes again, "I'm just saving my strength for the journey."

"You two should get washed and rest a little," Skjor spoke up, looking pointedly at the brothers, "we're leaving for Ysgramor's tomb as soon as Eorland finishes with Wuuthrad."

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, "where's Lydia?"

"Hopefully asleep," Skjor replied, "I told her to go to bed after she arranged for a carriage to take us to Winterhold in the morning." Then Skjor smirked at Vilkas and added, "she wanted to wait for you, so I told her to sleep in your room if she was that worried about it."

Farkas tried not to smirk as well as he noticed Vilkas's heart rate jump slightly at that.

"Alright," Vilkas nodded as he turned for the door.

"Duna, you should go rest too," Skjor added, "Anska will be in to watch him soon, and I'll call you if anything happens."

"Ok," Duna nodded tiredly.

Farkas helped her to her feet and then held her hand as they walked back to their room.

"You're sure you're ok?" Farkas asked quietly once he shut the door.

"Yeah," she nodded, "it's been quiet here. I've just been trading off with Anska looking after Kodlak. Everyone's been pretty insistent that I rest, and eat, and don't lift anything heavier than a spoon."

She sounded annoyed, but Farkas smirked. "I'm glad," he told her bluntly

At that, Duna gave him a look that was something between amused and annoyed. "You know I'm still the Dragonborn... right? I literally _just_ defeated the World Eater..."

"I know," Farkas smiled, "which is why you need rest. I'll worry less when I know you've got your strength back."

Duna sighed, still sounding annoyed, but she smiled at him. "What did you tell Skjor before you left?"

Farkas cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "not much I don't think... why?"

"Just several times he complained at me not to overdo it," Duna shrugged, "said you'd kill him if anything happened to me or the baby... or our 'little pup,' as he call him," Duna added with a smile.

Farkas chuckled. "Didn't have to tell him that, he just knows me."

Duna sat down on the bed with a sigh. "And you're really ok?" She asked, looking up at him uncertainly.

"Do I look _that_ bad?" Farkas raised his eyebrows.

"Kind of..." Duna nodded sheepishly, "you're a bit of a mess, and your hair..."

Farkas ran his hands through his hair... he knew he'd smelled nothing but burnt hair for a while, but he hadn't had time to worry much about it... he grimaced as he realized it was burned rather short in some places... particularly just behind his right ear... nothing had burned down to the scalp— which explained how Farkas hadn't really noticed it, but there were whole chunks missing from that side now.

"It'll grow back," he sighed.

"I know," Duna replied with a sympathetic smirk, "do you want me to help you even it out?"

"That'd be nice," he nodded, "but it can wait. I'll just go wash up for now, you should rest."

"Alright," Duna nodded before settling into the bed.

Farkas wanted to just cuddle up beside her, but he knew he stunk and she wouldn't appreciate that...

He made it to the washroom just as Vilkas was hurriedly finishing his own wash. Farkas considered teasing him about being in such a hurry, but he thought better of it.

"You didn't get burned too bad, did you?" He asked instead.

"Hmm?" Vilkas looked up in confusion before shaking his head, "no, I was behind you and that shield, still got burned a fair bit, but I at least didn't burn my hair as badly."

Now that Vilkas was cleaned of all the ash and grime, Farkas could see that he had a few new burn scars across his arms and chest, and one or two faint scars across his face. His hair had only gotten slightly singed and probably wasn't going to lose much length when the burned ends were cut off.

Farkas nodded. He undressed and stepped into the water as Vilkas began getting dressed.

"Gonna be weird to have my hair shorter than yours," he chuckled sheepishly as he began scrubbing away the soot.

"Aye," Vilkas chuckled, "not sure you've ever cut it shorter than mine. You going to be able to handle that big of a change?" He asked teasingly.

"Yeah," Farkas chuckled too. "I'll just let Duna cut it however she wants to," he shrugged, "I won't complain if she likes it."

"I suppose that works," Vilkas nodded. "I guess a lot of things are going to be changing around here soon," he added with a sigh.

"They are," Farkas agreed with a sad sigh.

The brothers were silent for several moments as Vilkas finished.

"Don't be too long washing," Vilkas advised before leaving, "Skjor said Eorland should be finished by morning."

"Alright," Farkas nodded. "You gonna actually try to rest with Hircine angry at us?"

"Going to have to risk it," Vilkas shook his head, "we'll need our strength too."

"Mmm," Farkas grunted with another nod of agreement. He hoped they’d be able to...

Once Vilkas left he hurried to finish as well and soon Farkas was heading back to his room. Duna was asleep on her side, with her back to his side of the bed. Farkas smiled and climbed into the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Duna sighed in her sleep as he cuddled up to her back and pulled the blanket over both of them.

She still smelled like him... Farkas suddenly wondered if he could lean down and listen to the baby's heartbeat without waking her... but as soon as he sat back up to try, she grumbled and her eyes blinked open.

"Sorry, love," Farkas said, placing a quick kiss to her cheek as she rolled over, "wanted to see if I can hear him again..."

Duna hummed and smiled slightly as she closed her eyes again, sleepily pulling her tunic up to her hips.

Farkas grinned. Exhausted as she was, she still looked so lovely. He leaned down, placed his ear to her belly, and just listened to their son's heartbeat for a few moments. He was happy and relieved to hear that it still sounded strong.

He placed a gentle kiss to her belly before moving back and settling into the bed beside her again. Duna hummed again and smiled sleepily as she cuddled against him.

Sleep found Farkas surprisingly easily, and he didn't really have nightmares... but he did dream...

It was a simple dream... no images... it was _almost_ a peaceful sleep... Farkas was aware that he was resting with his mate in his arms, but just at the outskirts of his subconscious Hircine paced almost like a caged animal...

"You won't be able to hear the pup's pulse without my gifts," the daedra growled tauntingly.

Farkas tried to ignore him so Hircine continued...

"You really think you'll be be able to protect them without me? You will be _nothing_ without me— when my hounds run you down they will devour them too..."

Farkas felt himself begin to panic for a moment at that threat, but then the image he’d imagined of Duna standing on one foot and furiously shouting Alduin down with her fire breath came back to his mind.

"I’d like to see ‘em try," Farkas growled in reply, "my wife will roast your hounds alive."

Farkas could sense the daedra angrily watching him after that, almost like an angry beast breathing over his shoulder... but if Hircine had had anything else to say, Farkas didn’t remember it when he woke.

  
  
  


They were woken a few hours later by a knock on the door. Eorland had finished Wuuthrad just as the sun rose, and they all prepared to set out.

The news that the axe of Ysgramor had been restored had roused Kodlak from his rest, and the old man had gotten out of bed with more energy than any of them had expected. Once Duna further stabilized him with a healing spell, he got himself dressed in his old wolf armor, and only needed a little help from Farkas. Then Vilkas and Farkas helped him up the stairs where all the Companions gathered in the hall.

"This..." Kodlak grinned as Eorland presented him with the great ebony axe, "is a glorious day for the Companions. Now we will journey to the tomb of Ysgramor, for the honor of us all. Let us not delay, brothers and sisters," he said proudly, holding Wuuthrad, "I'm ready to face my final battle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry to say these next few chapters are going to be a bit delayed. My grandfather has been in the hospital, and not doing well, which is making these next few chapters in particular really difficult for me to actually write...  
Some days writing on this topic is rather cathartic and is helpful, other days I just have to do something else, so there’s no telling when I’ll get the next chapter done.
> 
> As always, thank you to everyone for the kudos and kind comments, I appreciate them so much.


	74. “...For Kodlak!”

Eorland and the Companions said their goodbyes to the Harbinger. Then Kodlak managed the walk through Whiterun down to the stables, proudly carrying the axe of Ysgramor on his back.

Skjor, Aela, Vilkas, and Farkas followed close behind, with Duna, Lydia, and Anska close behind them. They made quite the impressive procession and most of Whiterun's citizens came out to line the streets and see the passing of such a legend.

Jarl Balgruuf personally met them at the city gates to pay his respects and wish them a good journey and a good fight.

It all felt so surreal to Farkas.

They had planned to take the carriage along with both of their horses to Winterhold, and they reached the stables to find the carriage prepared and Dapple and Boy all saddled up.

Per Lydia's instructions, the carriage driver, Bjorlam, had prepared the carriage with a space for Kodlak to lay in the back, which Kodlak was grateful for because the walk through town had taken almost all the energy he had.

Bjorlam assured them that, for Kodlak, he and his horse could ride through the night and they would be in Winterhold by tomorrow evening.

And so Kodlak Whitemane left Whiterun.

Most of the trip, Anska and Aela rode in the carriage with Kodlak, Vilkas and Lydia rode Boy, and Farkas rode with Duna on Dapple. Skjor stubbornly spent most of the trip walking along side the horses, and Aela occasionally got down to walk with him. No one did much talking.

Kodlak looked like he could have been a corpse in the back of the wagon except for his regular, long, labored breaths. Anska frequently cast healing spells just to keep him comfortable, and when she needed to stretch her legs, Duna took her place.

"It's mostly just the rot at this point," Duna had whispered to him sadly, the first time she rejoined him on Dapple's back. "His wounds are all pretty stabilized, but the illness has pretty much overrun everything."

"So this really will be his final battle," Farkas said quietly. The understanding felt like a rock was settling into his chest.

"In this life at least," Duna nodded. Her voice sounded a little choked, and Farkas could smell her tears threatening to spill over.

Farkas wanted to say that then they had to make sure he won this battle, but with the rock-feeling in his chest, the words weren't going to come without tears, so instead he nodded and hugged Duna's shoulders a little tighter. But then he took another breath and realized the tears were going to come anyway.

Seeing him lying like that in the carriage, it was really sinking in; Kodak was dying. They weren't going to need the carriage for the return trip.

Farkas looked over and met Vilkas's eyes and saw that his warpaint was smudged with a few tear streaks as well, and he knew his brother had come to the same understanding.

He was glad they'd at least been able to leave Whiterun in such a proud procession, but there was still so much to do...

They rode all night and were nearing Winterhold the following evening as Bjorlam had promised. As they approached Winterhold, Aela and Lydia got down and ran ahead to have the inn prepared.

Just before dark, they arrived at the Frozen Hearth. The innkeeper had prepared their best room for Kodlak, and two additional rooms for the other Companions to take turns resting.

"How're you holding up?" Duna asked him quietly as they settled in for what would be their turn for a couple hours of rest.

"Don't know," he sighed honestly, slumping into the bed.

Duna wrapped her arms around his neck and gently stroked his hair. She placed a kiss to his forehead and just held him comfortingly. Farkas wrapped his arms around her hips and rested his head on her chest, just taking comfort in her presence, listening to her heartbeat.

Farkas took a deep breath... he was losing his mentor who'd always been like another father to him... that realization was causing an actual pain in his chest... it was an awful feeling that caught in his throat every time he breathed.

He’d no longer be able to go to Kodlak’s room to talk about their latest trip... to see the surprise and pride on the old man’s face when he heard of their latest dragon fight. He wouldn’t be able to get Kodlak’s advice on coaching and training the younger Companions... and Kodlak wouldn’t be there to advise him on raising his son...

Farkas took another shuddered breath and let the tears fall. Duna just held him as he cried, and after several moments Farkas realized she was crying too. He held her a little tighter and tried to focus on other things. After a few moments her scent caught his attention... that first hint he’d gotten that confirmed she was pregnant...

Life was never going to be the same, but at least, Farkas reminded himself, he still had Duna... and they had their son... and Vilkas, Lydia, and Anska...

With another deep breath, Farkas decided this meant that they all had to carry on and lead lives that Kodlak would be proud of.

Finally Farkas picked his head up to look up at Duna again. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was tear-streaked, and Farkas was sure he was the same... probably worse considering she hadn’t bothered with her warpaint. He pulled out one of his cleaning rags to blow his nose and wipe his face, then he handed Duna another clean rag.

For several more moments neither of them spoke before Farkas sighed.

"Thank you, love," he squeezed her hand gently and she just nodded, giving him a sad smile. "I think I'll be ok if we can really cure him before he goes," he said quietly, "if I know he gets to see his wife again in Sovengarde..."

Duna leaned back in to hug him again. "We will," she said confidently, "I'll fight Hircine myself if I have to."

Farkas smiled at that. "I know." He lifted his head to kiss her. "Thank you."

"Anything for my family," she replied. Her sad, loving smile made the heavy feeling in Farkas's chest lighten just a little.

"Gods... I love you... my little dragon," he sighed.

"I love you too," she whispered and then kissed him sweetly.

Farkas wrapped her in his arms as they both settled to try and get a little sleep.

Farkas managed a few hours of sleep, and his dream was a lot like the one he'd had the last time he'd slept... Hircine was angrily watching, pacing like he wanted to attack, but in his dream now there was a small dragon curled protectively in Farkas's arms, and Hircine grumpily kept his distance.

Vilkas woke them a few hours before dawn to take their turn watching Kodlak so he and Lydia could rest. Farkas felt rested enough, but Duna blinked blearily and cast her healing spell on herself before getting out of bed.

"You ok?" Farkas asked, with his eyebrows raised worriedly.

"Yeah, that just helps me wake up," she nodded, "I'm fine, don't worry," she assured him with a smile.

"Alright then," Farkas replied. He took her hand and felt a small jolt of soothing warm magic flow into him as well. He suddenly felt considerably better as she just looked up at him with a loving smile.

Kodlak was sleeping when they arrived in his large room, and his breathing sounded labored and ragged. Duna cast her healing spell to sooth him and his breathing sounded easier after that.

He woke a little before dawn with an awful sounding cough and Duna jumped to cast her healing spell again.

"Thank you," Kodlak sighed as his breathing eased again.

"Of course," Duna nodded as Kodlak settled back into his pillows.

"Do you need anything, Harbinger?" Farkas asked worriedly.

"I'm alright," Kodlak shook his head. "But I'm glad you're here, my boy," he added a moment later, "I was worried I might not get the chance to tell you..." he took a deep breath, "thank you for slaying the witches. Vilkas told me it was no easy task."

"Nothin' we couldn't handle," Farkas replied with a weak smile.

Kodlak gave a chuckle at that, "you were always the stubborn, optimistic one. Vilkas also told me your plans for a house and raise your family."

"Yeah," Farkas nodded, "somewhere close enough to stay with the Companions and still have space for kids."

"I’m glad," he nodded. "I know Jergen would have been very proud of you boys," Kodlak smiled as he reached up to rest his hand on Farkas's arm, "and I am too."

Farkas took the old man's hand and felt the tears stinging his eyes again. "Thank you Kodlak," he managed, "I hope I can be half as good a father as you were to me and Vilkas."

"I know you'll be that and better," Kodlak smiled warmly. 

Farkas tried to blink back his tears, but they fell anyway. "Thank you," he choked out, "for everything, Kodlak."

Kodlak gave his hand a gentle squeeze in response before he leaned back into his pillows again with a smile on his face.

Farkas leaned back in his chair beside the bed as Kodlak closed his eyes.

Duna stepped forward and hugged Farkas’s shoulders and then handed him one of his cleaning rags. Farkas cleaned his face with a sad sigh, and they settled back to their watchful rest as Kodlak slept.

  
  
Kodlak continued resting until about two hours after sunrise while the rest of them prepared to continue their journey.

Aela had gone out in the night to scout the trail and reported that most of it wouldn't be passable for horses, so once they left Winterhold it was all walking.

Skjor took the lead, carrying Wuuthrad and watching for trouble while Aela continued to scout ahead for the best path. Farkas and Vilkas stayed on either side of Kodlak, helping him when needed, Anska followed, and Lydia followed her, guarding their flank. Duna stayed right by Farkas's side, and when he wasn't having to fully support Kodlak, she held his other hand and huddled close for warmth.

Farkas was relieved to have Duna beside him, it calmed his nerves to be able to hear and smell her, but it was also simply comforting that she was there with him.

There were several points on the trail that he and Vilkas had to completely lift and carry Kodlak through the snow drifts. It was a difficult to accept that Kodlak was so weak and actually needing them for support now.

Kodlak had never seemed weak... even when he'd fallen ill... he'd always been the strong, wise warrior who had advised, and taught, and guided him... being there to support and help Kodlak now made Farkas feel honored and heartbroken at the same time. He was glad he'd gotten the chance to talk to him that morning.

Duna and Anska both had to cast healing spells several more times, but as they neared the tomb just before midday, with the help of a lot of healing magic, Kodlak was still on his feet.

The air inside the tomb was warmer and felt like it hadn't been disturbed in centuries. In the center of the entryway was a large statue of Ysgramor, dressed in his full battle armor, with his arms up as if he were holding a weapon, but his hands were empty.

Wordlessly, Skjor handed Wuuthrad back to Kodlak who stepped forward and placed the axe into Ysgramor's hands.

There was a deep rumbling sound from deep within the tomb, and a stone doorway opened with a low grinding sound.

"This is the final resting place of Ysgramor and the original Companions," Kodlak said as he reverently took the axe back, "I expect we will need to prove ourselves worthy to enter. Ready yourselves for an honorable battle."

Skjor took the lead with Vilkas and Farkas and Lydia behind him. Duna and Aela followed them with their bows and kept pace with Kodlak while Anska simply focused on healing. After Kodlak's warning, Farkas had expected draugr, even powerful draugr, but what they actually faced were spirits... eerie looking shades that called out taunts and attacked as they entered... Farkas was horribly unnerved when his mace passed straight through the first one, but once he frantically came back for another swing, the ghost smiled as it crumbled into a pile of shimmering residue that slowly disappeared.

Once they realized the ghosts could be defeated despite their weapons seeming to pass straight through, it was almost like a typical dungeon fight... almost.

So many Companions charging into battle together was truly a thing of glory... not to mention the idea that they were proving themselves to the original Companions... each ghost that faded was one of Ysgramor's strongest warriors judging them worthy...

Farkas knew this was going to be another page in the Companions' proud history.

Beyond the ghosts, there was a nest of frostbite spiders that needed cleaning up, and Farkas was glad to discover that his dragon bone mace smashed straight through the awful creatures as if they were only tiny bugs. Then, they arrived in the main chamber.

The main chamber was a combination of awe-inspiring, and eerie... it was a large open room, clearly built to be the grandest chamber with the large, elaborate stone tomb of Ysgramor at the back of the room and the eternal cleansing blue fire in a brazier in the center.

Farkas stared in awe... the air in this room felt warm and... eerily welcoming... they all stood in reverent awe for several moments.

Anska stepped forward, beside Kodlak, gazing up at the tomb in wonder... Farkas could feel Duna standing beside him and Vilkas on his other side... Lydia stood next to Vilkas, and Skjor and Aela were beside them.

"Just think..." Vilkas whispered in amazement, "after more than four thousand years... the first ones to enter this place... include not only Companions but some of us Ysgramor's own descendants..."

"It is indeed a glorious day," Kodlak agreed quietly as he gazed out at the blue flames with a tired smile. He shifted his grip on Wuuthrad as his expression shifted to one of determination. "Alright Vilkas, give me one of those foul creature's heads. I am ready."

Wordlessly, Vilkas pulled the stinking sack from his enchanted pack and held it open. Kodlak pulled one of the heads out by the hair, furrowing his brow in disgusted contempt at the hideous face.

The foul smell of the things made Farkas’s hair stand on end with an uncomfortable sense of dread... the hag’s words ran with unnatural clarity through his memory, _“your blood belongs to us...”_ along with Hircine’s threats of _“you are nothing without me...”_

Farkas shuddered and tried to shake off those memories. These things didn’t belong here in the presence of Ysgramor... the hags, the beast blood... it was a dishonor. Farkas was suddenly more determined than ever to be rid of it all.

Kodlak stared at the hag’s face for only a moment before stepping down to the brazier, his tired body powered by determination. He paused in front of the fire and looked back at them all. He looked tired but proud, with Wuuthrad in one hand and the hag’s head in the other.

“I don’t know exactly what will happen when the witch’s magic is released,” he told them, “but it my dream, Ysgramor said the beast spirit must be slain. Whatever happens, it has been my honor to know and fight beside each of you.” He smiled proudly and Farkas’s heart lurched... this sounded an awful lot like a ‘goodbye’.

“The honor has been ours, Kodlak,” Vilkas replied sincerely, and Farkas nodded emphatically, feeling the tears sting his eyes again.

Kodlak smiled warmly before looking to Skjor who was standing beside Aela, trying to look stoic, but definitely misty-eyed. “Lead them well, boy,” Kodlak nodded.

Skjor swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. “I’ll never be the Harbinger you were, but I’ll do my best,” he promised, with only a slight shake in his voice.

“I’ll drink to your victories in Sovengarde,” Kodlak replied confidently. Then he took one more look at his seven Companions with a proud smile before he turned back to the brazier and pitched the witch’s head into the blue flames.


	75. Victory and Sovengarde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a short chapter, but it didn’t feel right to lump anything else in here.

The blue fire blazed as the witch head landed in the brazier. Kodlak doubled over in obvious pain as the whole chamber rumbled around them. Then Kodlak stumbled backwards as a red, spectral form of a huge wolf emerged from his body. Anska lunged forward to cast more healing on him while the rest of them rushed to fight the beast.

The wolf snarled and lunged for Kodlak. With a yell of furious determination, Kodlak swung up and cleaved into the spectral wolf with Wuuthrad. Moments later, Aela's arrow stuck into the wolf's side, and Duna's summoned arrows began to follow.

With Duna hanging back and shooting, Farkas trusted her to stay safe, and turned his attention fully to the beast. He managed to get in close enough to swing his mace into the wolf's flank, Vilkas swung his sword opposite him while Lydia slashed at the wolf’s side, and Skjor rushed in beside Kodlak to slash at the wolf's neck.

Even though the beast was spectral in appearance, it felt solid in the fight, and even with all of them attacking, it would not back down. It seemed to ignore everyone but Kodlak.

For as tired and weak as Kodlak had seemed the last few days, he held off the beast surprisingly well... for a while...

Then the giant wolf snarled and lunged again, and this time managed to latch onto Kodlak's arm and shoulder. Farkas felt his heart drop as Wuuthrad clattered to the ground and the wolf lifted Kodlak in its jaws and shook him like a rag doll. Skjor lunged to grab the great axe, but as soon as he grabbed the weapon's handle, the wolf smacked Kodlak into him, and Skjor was sent crashing into the wall instead.

Aela yelled, but Farkas didn't have time to look to see what had happened beyond that. He was afraid the ancient axe had shattered again, but he had to focus on the fight in front of him. He slammed his shield into the wolf's side with all of his weight, off balancing it as Vilkas and Lydia both ran swords into its other side. Then another of Duna's arrows embedded into the wolf's face, just as Kodlak managed to get his free hand into his enchanted pack and pull his old skyforge steel hammer out.

The hammer came down solidly on the wolf's head and the wolf staggered, dropping Kodlak to the ground. Then, not waiting to see if the wolf would die or recover, Skjor charged back in, bringing Wuuthrad down on the back of the beast's neck.

The huge, spectral beast crumpled to the ground, and faded into a red mist. The blue fire in the brazier seemed to suddenly burn more brightly as the red mist disappeared. The room fell silent with the exception of Kodlak's labored, ragged breathing.

Kodlak lay in a crumpled heap at the steps in the center of the room. Duna and Anska both rushed back to his side, hands already lit with the gold light of healing spells, but Kodlak held up a shaky hand, stopping them.

"It's alright," he said in a hoarse whisper.

He shifted to lean more comfortably and Farkas was quick to step forward and help him. Vilkas was too, and the brothers helped the Harbinger roll onto his back, resting against the steps. His whole left arm was covered in blood, bleeding from massive lacerations, and Farkas was pretty sure the bones were broken.

"It's alright," Kodlak repeated with a smile as he leaned back, "let me go... my battle has been won... we have slain the beast inside of me... I feel... peace..."

Farkas heard Anska's sob catch in her throat and Duna let her hands fall to her sides as the spell faded. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy again.

"I see them now..." Kodlak smiled, looking up toward the ceiling, "all of the past Harbingers... the ones in Sovengarde, and in Hircine's realm..." Kodlak took a deep, ragged breath and looked pained for a moment before a proud smile settled back on his face. His eyes became unfocused as he gazed at the ceiling. "Shor beckons me now..." he breathed weakly, "I see Aylette..."

There was a happy, relieved looking smile on Kodlak's face as Farkas heard his last breath slip from his lips.

  
  


Farkas knew all four werewolves could hear that his heart had stopped, and it didn't take long for Duna, Anska, and Lydia to understand it too. For several moments they were all silent. Anska was the first one to break the silence, trying to suppress another sob, then Aela took a deep, shuddered breath, and Skjor cleared his throat... then it sounded like everyone around Farkas was either sniffling or trying to blink back tears.

But Farkas's tears wouldn't come. He leaned forward and gently closed Kodlak's eyes. He just looked so peaceful now...

Farkas wasn't sure how to feel... he knew he was supposed to be sad... Kodlak was gone, but this had been what he'd wanted... his final wish had been realized, he'd beaten Hircine and gone to Sovengarde... he was with his wife...

Farkas felt... _relieved_...

They'd won... this was a triumph...

...It almost felt selfish to be sad...

Farkas was pulled from his thoughts by Duna's hand on his shoulder and he turned quickly to pull her into a comforting hug. She hugged him tightly and buried her face against his neck as Farkas looked up at the rest of his shield-siblings.

Anska sat beside Kodlak's body, weeping; Vilkas was holding onto Lydia like his life depended on it, but otherwise seemed relatively well composed; Lydia was clearly trying to be strong for Vilkas with tears streaming silently down her face; Skjor was holding Aela in one arm with his other hand over his eyes, clearly hiding his tears; and Aela simply cried quietly, still looking at Kodlak's still form.

Then Farkas’s tears came... he wasn’t sad for Kodlak, he knew this was a victorious day for him... but for all of his shield-siblings, this was a very sad day, and a very bitter-sweet victory.

Farkas wasn't sure how long they all stayed like that, quietly grieving, before Vilkas cleared his throat...

"Well Harbinger," he said, looking to Skjor, "how shall we proceed?"

Skjor took a deep breath before finally looking up. He looked sad but thoughtful as he looked around the burial chamber for several moments.

"Let's go back outside and build him a funeral pyre, we can bring his ashes back in here to rest with Ysgramor," Skjor suggested.

"Aye," Vilkas nodded, looking around as well, "there should be some empty burial urns back at the entrance that were reserved for just such honors."

"I think he'd like that," Aela nodded, "he deserves that honor."

"Kodlak also wouldn't want us to grieve long," Farkas spoke up, "this was what he wanted."

"Aye, it was, Farkas," Vilkas agreed, "he's in Sovengarde."

"A worthy outcome for a worthy warrior," Skjor nodded.


End file.
